Syria Condemns Israeli Strike Near Damascus

Syria decries Israeli airstrike near Damascus as a violation of international law, raising tensions in the region amidst escalating attacks.

Syria has condemned an Israeli attack on the village of Beit Jinn, located southwest of Damascus, which reportedly struck a civilian vehicle, injuring several individuals.

This incident marks the second known Israeli strike on Syrian territory within the past week, with Syrian officials denouncing it as a “violation” of both its sovereignty and international law.

According to a post made by the Israeli military on X, the targeted operation aimed at a “terrorist” who was in the “final stages” of orchestrating an attack that posed an immediate threat to Israeli soldiers.

The recent airstrike comes just days after Israel targeted a military airbase near the Turkish border, a move Syria claims may escalate tensions in the region.

Following the earlier attack, the United States issued a rare reprimand, labeling the Israeli actions as “an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”

In remarks made during an interview on Friday, Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, suggested the strike might be Israel’s way of “baiting the Turks” into a conflict in advance of upcoming Israeli elections. This statement received immediate pushback from Israel’s far-right defense minister, Israel Katz, who dismissed Barrack’s comments as “full of inaccuracies,” asserting that Israeli forces were acting based on clear intelligence about Turkey’s intentions.

After the assault on the Abu al-Duhur airbase, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement asserting that, “Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters. However, Syria appeared close to violating this by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.”

Following the air strikes, Turkey remained silent on whether any of its troops had been deployed to the Abu al-Duhur airbase, situated approximately 70 km from the Turkish border, but Ankara rejected the suggestion that it posed a threat.

The Abu al-Duhur airbase has been out of service as a military airfield since 2013, having been seized by rebel forces during their advance across Syria in December 2024.

Israel currently occupies territory in southwestern Syria that it annexed following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024. Since then, Syria has been attempting to reconstruct its military facilities damaged during the conflict that led to the ousting of the Assad government.

Moreover, the Turkish military has extended support to Syria since the fall of Assad, while Israel continues to harbor deep suspicions towards both nations.

In a notable shift, Syrian leader Al-Sharaa has been strengthening ties with the West since assuming power, particularly with the United States, culminating in his historic visit to the White House in November 2025.