Latest news with #BeitJinn
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Syria and Hamas deny Israel captured group's fighters in raid
Syria's Interior Ministry and Hamas on Thursday denied that Israel had seized members of the Palestinian militant group during an overnight raid in southern Syria. The Israeli army said its operation in Beit Jinn, 50km south-west of Damascus, was 'based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks' and led to the arrest of 'several Hamas terrorists' who were allegedly plotting 'multiple terror attacks' against Israel and its military. It said the detainees, who were not identified, were transferred to Israel for questioning. 'This is completely untrue, it's a Zionist propaganda. The Hamas movement does not have any members in Syria, so how would that be the case?' a Hamas officials told The National. 'It's completely untrue and we would release an official statement if it was, no matter what the case.' A representative of Syria 's Interior Ministry also rejected Israel's claim. 'The detainees are civilians, they're not fighters,' they told The National. Broadcaster Syria TV reported that about 100 Israeli soldiers in 10 vehicles stormed the town of Beit Jinn. The Israeli troops killed one person during the raid, the channel added. The raid comes as Israel has increased operations in southern Syria following weeks of relative calm. Israel launched waves of air strikes across Syria after rebel groups toppled the Bashar Al Assad regime in early December, destroying large parts of the Syrian army's weapons stockpile and seizing territory in the south. Israel has expressed distrust towards Syria's new authorities, led by President Ahmad Al Shara, a former Al Qaeda commander-turned-statesman, who has pledged to govern the fractured country inclusively and unify all of Syria's armed groups under a single command structure. Mr Al Shara's government has adopted a pragmatic approach towards Israel, with the President revealing during a visit to France last month that his country was engaged in indirect talks with the Israelis. But tension flared again in early June after projectiles were fired from southern Syria into Israeli territory. Israel retaliated with air strikes on June 8 – the first in nearly month – which it said killed a Hamas member on the outskirts of Beit Jinn.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Israel's army says it seized Hamas members in Syria
Since taking over, interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not want conflict with its neighbours. (EPA Images pic) JERUSALEM : The Israeli army said today that its soldiers seized several suspected members of Palestinian rebel group Hamas in a 'targeted' operation in southern Syria. Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the raid, but Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one man was killed and seven seized during the raid on Beit Jinn, 12km from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria aimed at denying military assets to the Islamist-led interim administration, which it regards as jihadist. It has also deployed troops across the demilitarised zone on the Syrian side of the armistice line that used to separate the opposing forces on the Golan. The Israeli military said troops carried out a 'targeted, intelligence-based nighttime operation in Syria and apprehended several Hamas terrorists'. It alleged that those seized were plotting attacks on Israeli troops. The Observatory said a 'major Israeli force' raided Beit Jinn overnight, calling out the names of several young men and arresting seven of them before taking them to 'an unknown location'. 'During the operation, Israeli forces opened fire on a young man near his home, instantly killing him,' the monitor added. It said the dead man and all of those detained were Syrian 'civilians'. The raid comes days after the Israeli army said it 'struck a Hamas terrorist in the area of Mazraat Beit Jinn', which neighbours Beit Jinn. In early June, Israel reported rocket fire from Syrian-held territory towards the Israeli-occupied Golan, the first since Assad's overthrow, and retaliated with a series of strikes on the country. Since taking over in December, interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not want conflict with its neighbours, urging international pressure on Israel to halt its attacks.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Syria condemns Israeli incursion into Damascus countryside
LONDON: The Syrian Arab Republic condemned an overnight incursion by Israeli forces into its southern territory, resulting in the death of a civilian and the detention of scores of residents. '(The) escalation represents a clear violation of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, including the 1974 Disengagement Agreement,' the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement on Thursday. It added that the attack undermines Syria's efforts to achieve stability and reconstruction and called on the UN Security Council 'to take decisive steps to halt those repeated attacks and ensure respect for international law, in order to preserve regional security and stability.' Syria's Ministry of Interior said on Thursday that the Israeli forces killed one civilian and 'kidnapped seven others during a raid in the town of Beit Jinn, (in the) Damascus countryside' overnight. The Israeli forces, comprised of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and infantry vehicles, along with reconnaissance drones, entered Beit Jinn in the Qatana area in the country's southern territory, 12 km from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. 'These practices cannot lead to stability in the region and will only lead to further tension and unrest,' the Ministry of Interior said. Israeli forces took the detained Syrians into the territories it controlled following the fall of the Assad regime in December, and their fate remains 'unknown,' the ministry added.
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Syria says Israeli raid captured civilians, not Hamas fighters
Syria on Thursday said the people detained by Israeli forces during an overnight raid in a southern Syrian town were civilians, rejecting Israel's claims that they were members of Hamas. 'The detainees are civilians, they're not fighters,' a Syrian Interior Ministry representative told The National. About 100 Israeli soldiers in 10 vehicles stormed the town of Beit Jinn, 50 kilometres south-west of Damascus, broadcaster Syria TV reported. The Israeli troops killed one person during the raid, the channel added. The Israeli military said its operation in Beit Jinn was 'based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks' and led to the arrest of 'several Hamas terrorists' who were allegedly plotting 'multiple terror attacks' against Israel and its military. It said the detainees were transferred to Israel for questioning. The detainees were not identified and it was not immediately possible to independently verify whether they were affiliated with the Palestinian militant group. Hamas has yet to comment. The raid comes as Israel has stepped up operations in southern Syria following weeks of relative calm. Israel launched waves of air strikes across Syria after rebel groups toppled the Bashar Al Assad regime in early December, destroying large parts of the Syrian army's weapons stockpile and seizing territory in the south. Israel has expressed distrust towards Syria's new authorities, led by President Ahmad Al Shara, a former Al Qaeda commander-turned-statesman, who has pledged to govern the fractured country inclusively and unify all of Syria's armed groups under a single command structure. Mr Al Shara's government has adopted a pragmatic approach towards Israel, with the President revealing during a visit to France last month that his country was engaged in indirect talks with the Israelis. But tensions flared again in early June after projectiles were fired from southern Syria into Israeli territory. Israel retaliated with air strikes on June 8 – the first in nearly month –which it said killed a Hamas member on the outskirts of Beit Jinn.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
One Syrian Killed by Israeli Forces in Damascus Countryside
Syria's Al Ekhbaria TV said on Thursday that one Syrian was killed by Israeli forces and seven were arrested when the Israeli military infiltrated at dawn into into Beit Jinn in the Western countryside of Damascus. The Israeli military said it arrested members of the Palestinian group Hamas in countryside outside Syria's capital Damascus.
