Israeli artillery and rocket fire killed 13 Syrians, including children and women, at dawn on Friday in Beit Jinn, a town in the Rif Dimashq countryside.
The assault came after residents surrounded Israeli soldiers who had invaded the village, crossing into it to kidnap Syrian citizens.
Six Israeli officers and soldiers were injured during the attack, marking an unusual escalation.
Israel said the strike was part of Operation “Bashan Arrow.”
The army launched the operation after the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last December.
Since then, Israeli forces targeted military sites across Syria and expanded control over strategic points, including Al-Sheikh Mountain and the buffer zone.
What happened in Beit Jinn?
The Israeli army said six reserve soldiers and officers were injured after they exchanged fire with what it called “Syrian gunmen.”
A force from the reserve paratrooper brigade 55 entered the village to kidnap three Syrians.
Troops kidnapped the three.
As the soldiers began to withdraw, gunmen opened fire from about 200 meters away.
The army responded with airstrikes, tanks, and drones.
Local media and witnesses stress that Israeli occupying soldiers met firm resistance from residents. Videos widely shared on social media show locals calling on each other to protect their families from Israeli kidnappings.
The army claimed that Syrian “gunmen” struck a military Humvee. The soldiers inside were wounded.
The vehicle broke down and troops later bombed it.
Israeli media reported that the force was trapped inside Beit Jinn. It took two hours of heavy strikes to pull them out.
Helicopters later evacuated the wounded to Israeli hospitals.
What was the goal of the Israeli raid?
Israel’s Army Radio reported that Israel prepared for the Beit Jinn attack for a month.
Security officials claimed the area hosted a wide “terror infrastructure.”
The army claimed that the three Syrian hostages belonged to the “Islamic Group,” a name that appeared for the first time in the army’s own statement today.
It accused them of spreading anti-Israel messages, planning attacks, and firing rockets in the past.
The Islamic Group operates mainly in Lebanon. Israel targeted several of its leaders during its recent war there.
Who fought the Israeli troops?
Syrian state media confirmed that residents of Beit Jinn clashed with Israeli forces. People tried to block the kidnappings.
Israeli drones, tanks, and artillery then hit several locations in the village.
Thirteen Syrians were killed, including five from one family. Twenty-five others were injured.
The village mayor, Abdel Rahman Al-Hamrawi, said Israeli troops entered Beit Jinn to kidnap three young men. Residents confronted them.
The clashes triggered the Israeli bombardment.
Dozens of families fled the village after the attack. Homes and shops suffered major damage, according to local reporters.
How did Syria respond?
The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned what it called an “Israeli criminal attack.”
It said the army shelled Beit Jinn “in a brutal way” after failing to complete the raid.
The ministry blamed Israel for a “massacre” that killed women and children.
It warned that repeated Israeli attacks threaten regional security.
Syrian officials also urged the international community to stop Israeli violations, which increased after Assad’s fall a year ago.
Israeli media reported that talks over a security agreement between Israel and Syria collapsed.
Israel rejected Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shara’s demand to withdraw from the positions Israeli forces occupied last year.
Why Beit Jinn?
Beit Jinn lies on the eastern side of Al-Sheikh Mountain (Mount Hermon) in a rugged, strategic area near the occupied Golan Heights.
The Israeli army attacked the village before.
In June, a night assault killed one civilian and ended with seven kidnaps.
In August, about 100 Israeli soldiers stormed the area again.
These raids fit a wider pattern of Israeli actions across southern Syria.
Israeli forces kidnapped Syrians from Quneitra and blocked access to farmland near the border.
Media reports state that Israel abducted about 45 Syrians last year during its incursions. Their fate remains unknown.