Syria Accuses Israel of War Crimes Following Deadly Military Operation in Beit Jinn

Syria's Foreign Ministry issued a strong statement on Friday condemning what it termed the "criminal intrusion" of an Israeli patrol in the village of Beit Jinn, located in the outskirts of Damascus. The ministry described the targeting of the village through "wild and deliberate strikes" as a complete war crime.

This follows an Israeli military operation conducted on Friday night, which, according to official reports, resulted in at least 13 deaths. The Syrian Foreign Ministry stated: "The Syrian Arab Republic strongly condemns the criminal aggression carried out by an Israeli occupation army patrol through its intrusion into the village."

Local media sources, citing reports from "Syrian Television," indicated that Israeli helicopters and artillery bombarded the village situated on the slopes of Mount Hermon, causing civilian casualties. Reports noted that the ground incursion by Israeli forces coincided with clashes with residents and the arrest of three young individuals, after which the forces retreated to a nearby hill, prompting residents to flee to neighboring villages.

In response, the Israeli army justified the operation by stating it aimed to apprehend wanted individuals. An Israeli military statement declared that "the 55th Reserve Brigade, under the command of Division 210, conducted an operation in the village of Beit Jinn, southern Syria, to arrest suspects involved in plots against Israeli citizens."

The statement further noted that the forces "arrested individuals suspected of belonging to what they refer to as an Islamic organization." It emphasized that the operation was based on intelligence information. The Israeli army claimed that its forces were attacked during the operation, responding with sustained fire supported by airstrikes, resulting in injuries to several personnel. The statement confirmed that "the operation concluded with the arrest of all wanted individuals and the elimination of several combatants."

In a humanitarian context, the Syrian Civil Defense reported significant challenges faced by rescue teams. The organization stated that "as of 9:30 AM on Friday, emergency teams... are still at the Beit Jinn farm and have been unable to enter the village to assist the injured, secure the area, and conduct search operations due to fears of dangerous remnants of war for the residents."

The Civil Defense attributed its teams' inability to carry out their missions to the ongoing targeting by Israeli forces of any movement at the village entrances, which hinders humanitarian access and poses a threat to civilian lives.

It is important to note that repeated Israeli strikes within Syrian territory represent a continuing dimension of regional tension, with Israel justifying its operations as efforts to counter threats against it, while Syrian authorities characterize them as aggressions resulting in casualties.