ALBAWABA – During an Israeli military operation in the town of Beit Jinn on Friday, 13 Syrians, including women and children, were killed. Beit Jinn is in rural Damascus near the occupied Golan Heights. A Syrian medical source who spoke to Al Jazeera said that Israeli artillery and missile fire hit residential areas and hurt many other people.
The bodies of six victims, five of whom were from the same family, were taken to Al-Mouwasat Hospital in Damascus, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). There were also eleven wounded people who were brought there, and three more were taken to Qatana Hospital.
The fight started when Israeli troops allegedly tried to arrest a local resident. This led to armed clashes with townspeople that lasted almost two hours.
Different Israeli news sources reported different numbers of Israeli deaths. The Israeli army said that six soldiers were hurt, three of them seriously. Other Israeli news outlets said that up to 13 soldiers were hurt.
Trapped Forces, Destroyed Vehicle
Yedioth Ahronoth said that Israeli soldiers were stuck during the raid, so the army had to use artillery and drones to get them out. The Walla news site said that soldiers left behind a broken military vehicle in the town, which an Israeli airstrike later destroyed to keep it from being taken.
Channel 12 says that planning for the operation took weeks, but the Israeli Air Force couldn't step in at key times because Israeli troops were too close to armed fighters.
A Statement from the Israeli Army
The Israeli military said that reserve forces from the 210th Division carried out the raid and that it was aimed at two brothers who were said to have planted explosives and fired a rocket. The army said that after the arrests, gunmen shot at Israeli soldiers from 200 meters away, which led to a heavy response with drones and artillery.
Israeli news said that three Syrians were taken into custody before Israeli soldiers left and set up camp on a nearby hill that looked down on the town. Military leaders called the raid "exceptional" because so many Israeli soldiers died.
