Tel aviv: Senior Israeli military officers criticized the army on Friday after six troops were wounded and failed to recover their vehicle during a predawn raid in the village of Beit Jinn in Syria's Damascus countryside, local media reported.
According to Anadolu Agency, Israel's public broadcaster KAN said the operation began around 3 am, when reservists from the 55th Brigade and the 210th Division moved into Beit Jinn, on the slopes of Mount Hermon, to arrest two brothers based on intelligence gathered in recent days. The brothers were detained without resistance and were alleged members of the 'Jamaa Islamiya,' suspected of planting explosives targeting Israeli forces and firing a rocket toward Israeli troops.
As the soldiers left with the detainees, gunmen opened fire on a military vehicle, wounding six soldiers. KAN added that the troops returned fire and Israeli aircraft intervened to isolate the area. The wounded soldiers, including three officers and three reservists, were evacuated by helicopter for treatment.
The air force struck the disabled vehicle after it was left behind. Israel's Walla news site reported internal criticism over the incident, highlighting surprise at the ambush and issues with the unit's deployment. The possibility that Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or Hezbollah fighters were involved in the attack was not ruled out.
Official Syrian media and an Anadolu correspondent reported at least 13 fatalities, including women and children, and many wounded individuals. State-run TV channel Alikhbaria noted ongoing Israeli drone activity and families fleeing Beit Jinn for safety.
The Israeli army confirmed six soldiers were injured, with three in critical condition, and reiterated the detention of 'Jamaa Islamiya' members. No comments have been made by Syrian authorities on the incident.
The Israeli army has conducted 47 raids in southern Syria this month alone, with over 1,000 airstrikes on Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids since December 2024. Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights, seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, violating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.