Israeli military operations in Syria continued today, with an overnight raid against the village of Beit Jinn, in Rif Damashq Governorate in which Israeli troops captured seven locals and killed at least one before departing.
Beit Jinn is roughly 6 km outside of the territory Israel has already captured within Syria during its ongoing invasion, which began in December. The official statement from the Israeli Army is that they “arrested” Hamas members in the raid.
Syria’s Interior Ministry, however, says that the taken people were not Hamas, but just local civilians. Israel has not offered any evidence of their being Hamas, nor did they comment on the identity of the person killed in the raid, which involved about 100 IDF soldiers and 10 military vehicles descending on the tiny village.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the slain person was a civilian, and that while the IDF was there, they cordoned off the village and called out the names of the seven “wanted” men on a loudspeaker. There is no word where the captured men are being held.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the raid as a clear violation of international law as well as numerous UN Security Council resolutions. They urged the international community to do something to halt the Israeli incursions and attacks on Syria.
Israeli media reported the troops were in the village for around 45 minutes, and raided multiple homes in the course of the arrests. The IDF said one of the people attempted to flee and “shots were fired,” which suggests the person they killed may have been intended to be captured too.
Israel invaded Syria immediately after the regime change in Syria in December, seizing the demilitarized zone between Syria and the Golan Heights and then additional territory beside, declaring it a “buffer zone” and suggesting it is a long-term operation.
Israel has also forbidden Syria from having any military in Quneitra, Daraa, and Suwayda Governorates, though they’ve repeatedly attacked Syrian targets inside Rif Damashq Governorate as well.
