At least 13 people have been killed in an Israeli raid on a village in southern Syria overnight, state media reported, in one of the deadliest incidents of its kind for months. It said children were among the dead. Sana news agency said residents of Beit Jinn confronted Israeli troops, leading to a firefight. Air strikes were also carried out. Syria's foreign ministry condemned what it called a war crime by Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops went into the village, on the edge of the occupied Golan Heights, to detain militants who it said advanced terror attacks against Israeli civilians. Six Israeli soldiers were injured in the clashes, three seriously, it said.
The IDF said it targeted the Jamaa Islamiya militant group in Friday's operation. It stated that when the raid began, several armed terrorists opened fire on its soldiers, who fired back. Footage released by the IDF shows two air strikes - one aimed at a group of people, and the other on a building. In bodycam footage also released by the IDF, soldiers can be seen firing on a street in the dark with the sound of automatic gunfire in the distance. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, reported that a building collapsed during the operation.
The IDF announced that all of the suspects were apprehended, and a number of terrorists were eliminated. Sana reported that three people were arrested by the troops before they withdrew. Local hospital sources indicated that it had received numerous bodies, including five from one family, with dozens more injured.
Syria's foreign ministry stated that more than 10 civilians had been killed, calling the event a fully-fledged war crime and urged the UN Security Council to intervene to stop Israel's policy of aggression. Israel regularly conducts operations in Syria to prevent the presence of armed groups and, following a shift in regional power dynamics, such operations have increased as Israel aims to limit the Syrian army's influence, which it views as a threat.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops went into the village, on the edge of the occupied Golan Heights, to detain militants who it said advanced terror attacks against Israeli civilians. Six Israeli soldiers were injured in the clashes, three seriously, it said.
The IDF said it targeted the Jamaa Islamiya militant group in Friday's operation. It stated that when the raid began, several armed terrorists opened fire on its soldiers, who fired back. Footage released by the IDF shows two air strikes - one aimed at a group of people, and the other on a building. In bodycam footage also released by the IDF, soldiers can be seen firing on a street in the dark with the sound of automatic gunfire in the distance. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, reported that a building collapsed during the operation.
The IDF announced that all of the suspects were apprehended, and a number of terrorists were eliminated. Sana reported that three people were arrested by the troops before they withdrew. Local hospital sources indicated that it had received numerous bodies, including five from one family, with dozens more injured.
Syria's foreign ministry stated that more than 10 civilians had been killed, calling the event a fully-fledged war crime and urged the UN Security Council to intervene to stop Israel's policy of aggression. Israel regularly conducts operations in Syria to prevent the presence of armed groups and, following a shift in regional power dynamics, such operations have increased as Israel aims to limit the Syrian army's influence, which it views as a threat.
