Latest news with #IsraeliIncursion
Arab News
a day 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.
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Syria condemns ‘blatant violation' of sovereignty after Israeli incursion
DAMASCUS: Syria's Interior Ministry condemned an Israeli incursion in southern Syria, saying Israeli forces killed one person and abducted seven others, calling it a 'blatant violation' of the country's sovereignty. 'We affirm that these repeated provocations constitute a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic,' the ministry said in a statement, adding that 'these practices cannot lead the region to stability and will only result in further tension and turmoil.' The Israeli military said those detained during the pre-dawn raid on Beit Jin were suspected of planning attacks against Israel, and that weapons also were found in the area. They were taken back to Israel for questioning, the military said. One person was killed and seven captured in the operation, Syria's Interior Ministry said, while the father of the young man killed said he had a history of mental illness. Since the fall of President Bashar Assad's government in early December, Israeli forces have moved into several areas in southern Syria and conducted hundreds of airstrikes throughout the country, destroying much of the assets of the Syrian army. Local broadcaster Syria TV described Thursday's raid as being carried out by about 100 Israeli troops who stormed Beit Jin, near the border with Lebanon, and called out the names of several people targeted for arrest through loudspeakers. Syria's Interior Ministry said such incursions spike tensions in the region. 'Such repeated provocative acts are a flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty,' the ministry said in a statement. Village official Walid Okasha said that Israeli troops had entered the outskirts of Beit Jin in recent months, but that this was the first time they entered the center of the village. He added that Thursday's operation came four days after an Israeli drone strike hit a car in the village, inflicting casualties. 'They came targeting specific people,' said Okasha, who denied that Hamas members were in the village. He said the seven people taken to Israel were all Syrians and that two of them were members of the country's new security forces. He said the man who was killed suffered from mental illness. Ahmad Hammadi identified the victim as his son and told the AP that he had a history of schizophrenia. He said his son was shot dead in front of his home, and that he had no links to Hamas. He said two of the captured men were his nephews. Hussein Safadi said his two sons, Ahmad, 32, and Mohammed, 34, were captured, adding that his younger son, who raises goats, had lived in Lebanon for years until recently. He said his younger son was a member of the armed opposition against Assad and recently joined the security forces of the new authorities. As for why Israeli forces seized his sons, 'we don't know the reasons,' Safadi said. During a visit to France last month, Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa said that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent hostilities from getting out of control.
Al Bawaba
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Israeli forces raid Syrian village near Damascus, kill civilian in new cross-border escalation
ALBAWABA- Syrian Interior Ministry officials have accused Israeli forces of launching a cross-border incursion into the village of Beit Jann, located in the Damascus countryside, on Thursday. Also Read Syria thwarts missile smuggling to Lebanon According to Syrian authorities, an Israeli military unit, including tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other vehicles, entered the area, carried out a series of raids, and arrested seven individuals. One civilian was reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire during the operation. The Syrian government condemned the incursion as a flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty and international law, describing it as part of a broader pattern of Israeli military escalation inside Syrian territory. Since the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israeli forces have intensified ground operations and airstrikes across southern Syria, especially in regions beyond the occupied Golan Heights, including Jabal al-Sheikh and Daraa. Also Read Israeli FM to Macron: 'put Palestine in France' These strikes have targeted military sites, key infrastructure, and urban areas, drawing fierce criticism from Damascus and its allies. An anonymous Syrian official accused Western powers, particularly the United States, of enabling what they call Israel's 'hegemonic campaign' in the region. The mounting cross-border pressure, they warn, is pushing the Middle East further toward instability.
