Israel strikes southern Syria; Damascus condemns attack

Israel targeted a terrorist in southern Syria on Saturday, according to Israel. Syria's foreign ministry said a drone strike hit a civilian vehicle on the outskirts of Damascus, causing injuries. The strike occurred near Beit Jinn village in the countryside west of the capital.

The incident comes as Syria seeks to resume negotiations with Israel over a security deal that could lead to Israel's withdrawal from Syrian land. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus' priority is to halt Israeli attacks and that confidence-building steps are needed. According to Business Recorder, negotiations over the security agreement had been frozen since the start of the Iran war, but Shaibani expected them to restart.

Syrian President is Ahmed al-Sharaa. The US has been seeking a security deal between Israel and Syria for over a year. Israel has sent troops into Syrian territory and attacked government assets, citing threats to its security.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Business Recorder — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.