Syria says Israeli strike killed over 10 civilians and warns the attack risks wider regional instability
A damaged vehicle near a site of an Israeli raid on Friday, according to Syrian state media, in Beit Jinn, Syria November 28, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS
Thirteen people were killed in an Israeli raid in southern Syria on Friday, Syrian state media reported, with Damascus denouncing a “criminal attack” in a village where Israel said its forces came under fire during an operation to arrest militants.
The Israeli military said six soldiers were wounded – three seriously – after coming under militant fire during the raid in the village of Beit Jinn.
The casualty toll points to one of the deadliest Israeli operations since President Bashar al-Assad was toppled a year ago. Israel frequently bombed Syria under Assad and escalated its military activities after his removal, saying its goals included keeping militants away from the frontier.
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The Israeli military said troops had launched an operation to detain suspects from Jama’a Islamiya, a Lebanese Sunni Islamist group that fired rockets from Lebanon into Israel during the Gaza war, accusing them of involvement in “terrorist plots”. The raid was described as part of routine operations in the area.
Reuters could not immediately reach Jama’a Islamiya officials for comment.
Violent clashes
Syrian state news agency SANA said 13 people were killed and dozens wounded after Israeli forces shelled Beit Jinn at 3:40 a.m. (0140 GMT) and entered the village. Residents confronted the troops, leading to “violent clashes”, it said.
The Israeli military said “armed terrorists” opened fire on its forces, who responded with ground fire “along with aerial assistance”. “A number of terrorists were eliminated,” it said.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Israel would not allow “terrorism and terrorist elements to entrench themselves on our borders”, adding that three suspects “involved in terrorist plots” had been arrested.
The Israeli military accused them of planting explosive devices and planning future attacks, including rocket fire.
Damascus calls raid a ‘full-fledged war crime’
Syria’s foreign ministry said more than 10 civilians, including women and children, were killed in the Israeli attack, accusing Israel of committing a “full-fledged war crime” and warning the strikes risked regional stability.
A casualty receives medical treatment inside a hospital, following an Israeli raid in the Beit Jinn area of southern Syria, according to Syrian state media, in Damascus, Syria, November 28, 2025.PHOTO: REUTERS
Asked about Damascus’ accusation, the Israeli prime minister’s office referred Reuters to the military statement, which did not address the allegation.
Walid Akasha, a local official in Beit Jinn, denied the presence of militants. “We’re a peaceful, civilian population, farmers. We have a legitimate right to defend ourselves. We didn’t attack them first – they came onto our land,” he told Reuters.
He said seven people were taken from the village during an earlier raid in June and their fate remained unknown. On June 12, Israel arrested what it said were Hamas members, while Syria’s interior ministry said they were civilians.
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UN condemns incursion
Najat Rochdi, the UN’s Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, condemned the Israeli incursion as “a grave and unacceptable violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, further destabilizing an already fragile environment.”
Syrian and Israeli officials have held several rounds of U.S.-brokered talks on a border security arrangement, but negotiations have been frozen since September.
Israel has expressed deep mistrust of Syria’s new government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly an al Qaeda commander, and has said it seeks a demilitarised southern Syria. Sharaa has said Syria poses no threat to any state.
Israel has intervened several times in Syria, including operations aimed at protecting Syria’s Druze minority, notably during violence in Sweida province in July.
Israel has also moved troops and equipment past a 1974 buffer zone into southern Syria, including at the strategic Mount Hermon position.
