At least 13 people were killed by Israel in Beit Jinn, a town in Damascus that is rural, on Friday, including two children.
Locals attempted to stop an Israeli military assault on Beit Jinn, which sparked clashes, with the most recent air raids.
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Israel asserted that it was pursuing members of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Jamaa al-Islamiya in Lebanon.
The organization claimed, however, that it was not active outside of Lebanon and refuted the Israeli claim.
Everything you need to know about the Beit Jinn attack and its context is here.
What transpired?
In the early hours of Friday morning, the 55th Reserve Brigade of the Israeli army claimed to have taken three Syrian residents who lived in Beit Jinn, claiming they were Jamaa al-Islamiya members and posed a “danger to Israel.”
However, the incursion did not go as planned. The Israeli army claims that the locals resisted, and that three of the six Israeli soldiers suffered serious injuries as a result of the clashes.
Then, Israel delivered its warplanes.
Iyad Daher, a wounded resident from Damascus’ al-Mouwasat Hospital, reported to the AFP news agency that “we were asleep when we were woken up by gunfire at three in the morning.”
The Israeli army was present in the village, soldiers and tanks, Daher said, “and we went outside to see what was happening.” The air force arrived, and the shells started falling after they withdrew.
Since the Assad regime’s fall, Israel has carried out the most deadly strikes against Syria.
Why did Israel’s forces invade Syria?
Israel has previously occupied Syrian territory.
After the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, Israel has attempted to use force in other nations to create buffer zones around itself, in the Gaza Strip, Syria, and Lebanon, according to Israeli officials and government-aligned media.
Israel has carried out frequent airstrikes across Syria and ground incursions in its south since the Assad regime’s fall last December. It established numerous checkpoints in Syria, detained Syrian citizens who had vanished from Syria, and held them in Israel without permission.
Since signing the two nations’ 1974 disengagement agreement, it has established bases around Jabal al-Sheikh (Mount Hermon in English).
The new Syrian government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, promised to adhere to the accord of 1974.
In 1967, Israel took control of the Syrian Golan Heights. Later, a demilitarized zone was established, but Israel invaded to seize control of Syrian-held territory after President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster and his army were completely destroyed.
What was said by the Syrian government?
that the attack was a war crime.
An Israeli occupation army patrol carried out a criminal attack on Beit Jinn, according to the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement. After their failed incursion, the occupation forces’ attack on Beit Jinn with brutal and deliberate shelling constitutes a full-fledged war crime.
What claims Israel makes?
The operation was described as an “arrest raid” aimed at Jamaa al-Islamiya members, according to Israel’s public broadcaster.
Three members of the Israeli army were “arrested,” according to a spokesperson for the army.
Israel asserts that the organization is operating in southern Syria to “recruit terrorists” and is involved in the “northern front,” or northern border, between Israel and Lebanon.
Osama Bin Javaid of Al Jazeera reported from Syria that Israel has not provided any evidence that the individuals targeted by the group were connected to the group.
Describe Jamaa al-Islamiya.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Lebanese branch is represented by the organization.
Although it has never been as well-liked as some of its regional counterparts, it has remained stable in Lebanon since it was founded in 1956.
It has one member of parliament, which was founded by former prime minister Rafik Hariri in the past.
However, in recent years, the organization has reportedly gotten more politically connected to Hezbollah and Iran. In 2023 and 2024, its armed wing, the Fajr Forces, conducted some operations against Israel.
The organization claimed in a statement on Friday that it was “surprised” Israeli media had been involved in what transpired in Beit Jinn following Israel’s claims that it had been involved in southern Syria.
It denounced the attack, claiming that Lebanon has no “no activities” there.
The organization further stated that it abides by and commits to the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement from November 2024.
Has Israel previously claimed to be attacking this group?
Yes.
Seven emergency relief volunteers were killed when Israel attacked al-Habbariyeh in southern Lebanon in March 2024.
It referred to a member of the group as a “significant terrorist” and claimed that the attack had taken place.
