Syria Condemns Israeli Strike Near Damascus

Syria has condemned an Israeli attack on the village of Beit Jinn, southwest of the country’s capital Damascus, which officials said hit a civilian vehicle and left several people injured. The attack was the second known Israeli strike on Syria in the past week, with Syria branding it a ‘violation’ of its sovereignty and international law. This incident has raised concerns about escalating tensions in the region.

The latest incident comes days after reports emerged Israel had struck a military airbase close to the Turkish border, which Syria said threatened to escalate tensions in the region. The US has issued a rare rebuke of Israel, calling it an ‘unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability’. For more news and updates, visit Watan News.

• Syria condemned the Israeli strike near Damascus as a violation of international law.
• The attack hit a civilian vehicle and left several people injured.
• The US issued a rare rebuke of Israel, calling it an unnecessary escalation.
• Israel claimed it targeted a ‘terrorist’ in the final stages of preparing attacks.

Beit Jinn Attack Aftermath

The Israeli military said it had targeted a ‘terrorist’ in the ‘final stages’ of preparing attacks which posed an immediate threat to soldiers. The attack has sparked a heated exchange of words between Israeli and US officials.

The US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, suggested that the strike could be ‘the Israelis baiting the Turks’ in an attempt to draw Turkey into a conflict ahead of upcoming Israeli elections.

Israeli Defence Minister Response

Israel’s far-right defence minister, Israel Katz, described Barrack’s account as ‘full of inaccuracies’. Katz added that Israeli forces were acting ‘in light of clear intelligence information about Turkey’s intentions’.

US-Israel Relations and Regional Stability

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a statement saying that ‘Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo’. The statement highlights the complex web of alliances and tensions in the region.