Israel Shells Syrian Areas Near Beit Jinn, Fires on Homes in Daraa

Syrian state media reported that the Israeli military launched two artillery strikes near the town of Beit Jinn in the Rif Dimashq Governorate on Friday. Simultaneously, Israeli forces reportedly fired on civilian homes in the town of Ma'arrat in western Daraa province, according to official Syrian sources. No casualties or damage were immediately reported from the incident in Ma'arrat.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) stated that Israeli forces targeted the area around Tel Bat al-Wardah near Beit Jinn with several artillery shells. This marked the second strike in the vicinity of Beit Jinn on Friday, following an earlier report of an Israeli shell landing in agricultural land west of the town without causing any reported losses.

Beit Jinn and its surroundings have been subjected to repeated Israeli shelling. SANA previously reported strikes on Tel Bat al-Wardah on September 5, September 3, and August 29. On August 22, an Israeli drone targeted a civilian vehicle on the road to Beit Jinn, resulting in casualties, according to SANA. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) later investigated the site.

These actions occur amidst frequent Israeli military incursions into southern Syria since the Syrian regime's collapse on December 8, 2024. Following the regime's fall, Israel reportedly expanded its presence into the Syrian buffer zone and other areas, including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. Damascus considers these Israeli movements a violation of its sovereignty and the 1974 disengagement agreement, demanding an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory.