Ten, including women and children, killed by Israeli forces in southern Syria
At least 10 people were killed by Israeli forces in a southern Syrian village overnight, Syrian state television reported Friday, after Israel's army said six soldiers were wounded in an operation in the area.
"The number of martyrs from the Israeli aggression... has risen to 10, including women and children, while others remain trapped under the rubble," Syrian state TV said, adding that dozens of families fled the village of Beit Jin to safety in nearby areas.
Israel's army said at least six soldiers were wounded overnight in an operation to arrest suspects from the Lebanese Islamist group Jamaa Islamiya.
"The suspects operated in the area of Beit Jin in southern Syria and advanced terror attacks against Israeli civilians," Israel's military said in a statement.
It said three of the soldiers were seriously injured.
Local official Abdul Rahman Al-Hamrawi told AFP that Israel raided the village southwest of Damascus that sits on the foothills of Mount Hermon, sparking clashes.
"The Israeli occupation army raided Beit Jin to arrest three young men from the village, leading to clashes with residents who tried to resist the Israeli incursion," he said.
"Following the clashes, the Israeli occupation forces shelled the area with artillery and drones."
After the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and the arrival of the new Islamist leadership in Damascus, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria.
Israel swiftly sent troops into the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone, which has separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights since 1974.
Source: Agence France Presse
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