Israeli drone strike injures several near Beit Jinn in southwest Syria
An Israeli drone strike has injured several people near the town of Beit Jinn in southwestern Syria, according to Syrian authorities. The strike hit a vehicle on the road between Beit Jinn and nearby farmland on Saturday, in an area that has seen repeated Israeli activity over the past year. Israel said the target was a person it described as preparing attacks.
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Syria's foreign ministry said the strike wounded several civilians and condemned it as a violation of sovereignty and international law. The country's official broadcaster reported that a man was injured when the drone hit his truck near Beit Jinn in the western Damascus countryside. A medical source said one wounded man was in stable condition with an injury to his right hand.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike and said it had targeted "a terrorist who advanced terror attacks in their final stages of preparation" in southern Syria. It said the activity posed an immediate threat to its forces. Residents in the area reported reconnaissance drones overhead for four days before the strike, according to local reporting from the scene.
The incident adds to tensions along Syria's southwest, where Israeli strikes and incursions have been reported frequently. Syria described the attack as a "flagrant violation" of its territory and a "blatant breach" of international law. For Israel, the strike fits a broader pattern of operations it says are aimed at preventing attacks before they are carried out.
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Beit Jinn lies near Jabal al-Sheikh and about 55km from Damascus, placing it close to a sensitive frontier area. Local reporting said the vehicle struck was a small delivery truck, and residents said one of those hurt was a civilian driver delivering goods. A security and strategic researcher in Damascus said the attack could be intended as a message to the Syrian government.
What remains unclear is the full identity of those injured and whether there were any further casualties beyond the reported civilian wounds. It is also not clear what intelligence led to the strike or whether the person Israel described was among those hit. The situation is likely to be watched for any further Israeli activity in the area and for any official Syrian response beyond the condemnation already issued.
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