Israeli ground operation near Damascus kills 13
Shafaq News – Damascus
On Friday, Israeli forces launched a major ground incursion into the outskirts of Beit Jinn, southwest of Damascus, clashing with residents and leaving at least 13 people dead.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), two Israeli patrols crossed the border before sunrise to carry out arrests, accompanied by shelling and armed clashes that caused a house to collapse. Several people remain missing, with no clarity on whether they were detained or fled amid the chaos. Warplanes circled overhead throughout the operation.
القصف الإسرائيلي على منزل في #بيت_جن بـ #ريف_دمشق تسبب بسقوط ضحـ ـايا pic.twitter.com/xlKqEGh0dx
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) November 28, 2025
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement on X that the raid targeted what he described as members of al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya accused of “planning attacks against Israel.” He reported that Israeli troops came under fire and responded with ground and air support, resulting in six soldiers wounded — two critically, one moderately, and three lightly.
#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
Israeli media said the incursion began around 3 a.m. when Reserve Brigade 55 and the 210th Division entered Beit Jinn on the slopes of Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh) to apprehend two brothers accused of “planting explosive devices and firing a rocket.” The pair were detained while asleep, without resistance, and were transferred to Israel, while helicopters evacuated the wounded to Rambam and Sheba hospitals.
Syria’s Civil Defense said its teams were unable to enter Beit Jinn to evacuate the wounded because Israeli forces continued targeting any movement near the town’s entrances.
Separately, SOHR documented Israeli artillery strikes on Tal al-Ahmar in Quneitra late Thursday and two infiltration attempts from Syria into the occupied Golan, during which Israeli forces reportedly detained the individuals involved.
Since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, Israel has expanded operations inside Syria, carrying out ground incursions and airstrikes against weapons depots, vehicles, and armed groups, while deepening its presence in buffer zones established under the 1974 disengagement agreement.
Read more: Israel's expansion in Syria: A looming threat to Iraq
