Israel strikes southern Syria as Damascus condemns attack

Israel struck southern Syria, injuring civilians after a drone hit a civilian vehicle near Beit Jinn village west of Damascus. According to the Daily Times, Syrian state television reported that at least one person was injured in the attack. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as a blatant violation of its territory and sovereignty.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said that Damascus expects negotiations to resume soon with Israel over a security deal that could lead to Israel's withdrawal from Syrian land. According to multiple outlets, including the Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Business Recorder, and Al-Monitor, al-Shaibani urged Israel to seize a "historic opportunity" as the door for diplomacy is open. He stressed that Damascus' priority is to halt Israeli attacks, saying confidence-building steps were needed.

The negotiations over the security agreement had been frozen since the start of the Iran war, but al-Shaibani expected them to restart. He also said that contact between Syria and Israel was cut after the airbase strike, and that Syria does not currently trust Israel. The Israeli prime minister's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Business Recorder, Al-Monitor — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.