Syria denounces Israeli strike near Damascus as breach of sovereignty
Syria condemned an Israeli attack on a village southwest of Damascus, calling it a violation of its sovereignty and international law, while Israel said it targeted a terrorist preparing attacks.
Syria condemned an Israeli strike on the village of Beit Jinn, located southwest of Damascus, saying the attack hit a civilian vehicle and injured several people. The Syrian government described the incident as a breach of its sovereignty and a violation of international law.
Israel’s military posted on X that the operation targeted a "terrorist" in the final stages of planning attacks that posed an immediate threat to its soldiers.
The strike follows a recent Israeli attack on a military airbase near the Turkish border, which Damascus warned could heighten regional tensions. The United States, after the earlier airbase attack, criticized the action as an unnecessary escalation that does not promote regional stability.
U.S. ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack suggested the strike might be an attempt to draw Turkey into a conflict ahead of Israeli elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement that Israel and Syria had an understanding on security matters, which it said Syria was close to breaching by allowing Turkish troops to deploy near Aleppo. Turkey has not confirmed any troop movements to the Abu al-Duhur airbase, located about 70 km from its border, and rejected Israel’s claim that the deployment posed a threat.
Abu al-Duhur airbase has been inactive as a military facility since 2013, after rebel forces seized it in December 2024. Syria has been working to rebuild its military infrastructure damaged during the conflict that led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government. The Turkish military has provided assistance to Syria since that overthrow, while Israel continues to view both countries with deep suspicion.