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Violent clashes erupted overnight from Thursday to Friday in southern Syria when Israeli soldiers operating in the Beit Jinn area came under fire from armed residents, according to local and military sources. At least one Syrian was reported killed in the first hours of the exchange, which began around 3:15 a.m. local time and lasted several minutes. As Friday progressed, the death toll continued to rise.

Beit Jinn, described by Israel as a hub for armed groups

Located about ten kilometers from the Israeli border and roughly forty kilometers southwest of Damascus, Beit Jinn has in recent months become, according to Israeli media, an active hub for armed groups seeking to target Israel. Several Syrian testimonies claim the gunfire broke out after Israeli forces attempted to arrest a resident of the village.

The operation escalated rapidly, leading to exchanges of small-arms fire, then artillery strikes, before an Israeli helicopter reportedly hit the outskirts of the town, according to the same sources.

Damascus denounces a “criminal aggression”

While Syria TV initially reported nine deaths, the official SANA news agency later raised the figure to thirteen. Syrian authorities spoke of a “growing number of martyrs” caused by what they described as an “Israeli aggression” on Beit Jinn.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry denounced a “criminal aggression” that, according to its version, sparked clashes when residents attempted to block Israeli forces. Damascus accused the Israeli army of launching a “savage bombardment” of the village following the failure of its ground incursion. It claims that more than thirteen people, including women and children, were killed — none of which could be independently verified.

Israel says it targeted Jamaa Islamiya operatives

The Israeli army delivered a radically different account, stating it had conducted a targeted raid against members of the Jamaa Islamiya organization, accused of preparing attacks against Israeli civilians. According to its statement, a contingent from the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, part of Division 210, entered a house in the village to arrest two suspects. As the soldiers exited with the detainees, they reportedly came under heavy, close-range fire.

#عاجل 🔴 خلال ساعات الليلة الماضية واستناذًا إلى معلومات استخباراتية جمعت خلال الأسابيع الأخيرة انطلقت قوات الفرقة 210، إلى عملية لاعتقال مطلوبين من تنظيم الجماعة الإسلامية الذين عملوا في قرية بيت جن جنوب سوريا ودفعوا بمخططات إرهابية ضد مواطني دولة إسرائيل.

⭕️خلال العملية أطلق…

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 28, 2025

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, said on X that the operation was launched “based on intelligence information collected in recent weeks,” explaining that forces from Division 210 had been deployed to arrest wanted members of Jamaa Islamiya who had been “pushing terrorist plans against Israeli citizens.” According to him, “terrorists opened fire on the troops,” who returned fire while being supported by Israeli air power.

He reported that two officers and one reservist were seriously wounded, another reservist was moderately injured, and two additional soldiers were lightly wounded; all were evacuated to the hospital.

Adraee stated that “the operation was fully completed,” that all the wanted individuals were arrested, and that “a number of terrorists were eliminated,” adding that Israeli forces “remain deployed in the area and will continue to act against any threat targeting Israel and its citizens.”

Three suspects arrested and a Humvee destroyed

The Times of Israel reported that the two detained men were brothers involved in previous rocket fire, and that a third suspect was captured during the operation. Six Israeli soldiers were wounded, three of them seriously. The troops returned fire as helicopters and drones carried out support strikes to cover their withdrawal.

An Israeli Humvee caught under fire had to be abandoned in the village before being destroyed by an Israeli strike, according to Israeli press reports. Despite the incident, the military considers the raid a success, citing the arrests and the killing of several armed men.

A context of persistent tensions in southern Syria

The raid came less than twenty-four hours after a group of Israelis crossed illegally into Syrian territory in the Golan–Mount Hermon area — an act described as “grave and criminal” by the Israeli army itself.

According to AFP, these clashes are part of a broader climate of persistent tensions in southern Syria, where Israeli operations have multiplied since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 and the installation of new authorities in Damascus. The agency also noted that recent diplomatic contacts involving Paris and Washington had hinted at the possibility of emerging security talks between Israel and Syria.