Syria says Israeli strike near Damascus violation of international law

Syria has denounced an Israeli attack on the village of Beit Jinn, southwest of Damascus, claiming it violated international law. The attack targeted a civilian vehicle, leaving several injured. This marks the second Israeli strike on Syria in a week. The Israeli military stated the attack was aimed at a terrorist preparing to pose an immediate threat to soldiers.

This incident follows reports of an Israeli strike on a military airbase near the Turkish border, which Syria claims threatened regional stability. Washington rebuked Israel for the attack, calling it an unnecessary escalation. The US ambassador to Turkey suggested the strike might be an attempt to draw Turkey into conflict ahead of Israeli elections.

However, Israel's far-right defense minister dismissed these claims, stating the Israeli forces acted based on intelligence information about Turkey's intentions. Following the strike, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Syria was on the verge of breaching the status quo in security matters by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.

Turkey denied any troops moving to the Abu al-Duhur airbase, which has been out of service since 2013. The airbase was seized by rebel forces after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. Israel occupies territory in southwest Syria and is wary of both Syria and Turkey. Syria, under President Al-Sharaa, has sought to rebuild its military facilities damaged during the overthrow of Assad's government.

Al-Sharaa has strengthened ties with the West, notably with the US, and was the first Syrian leader to visit the White House in November 2025.