Shafaq News – Damascus
Israeli forces carried out a new ground incursion into Syrian territory on Friday evening, only hours after a clash in the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside.
A source told Shafaq News that an Israeli patrol advanced into the Al-Ashsheh and Al-Asbah areas in the tense border zone, using four-wheel-drive vehicles carrying soldiers before pushing a short distance toward the two villages. No clashes or casualties have been confirmed.
Israel has yet to comment on the matter.
The move followed Friday’s earlier attack on Beit Jinn, where Israeli forces left 20 people dead and dozens wounded in the clashes. The Israeli military, meanwhile, reported six soldiers injured in the fighting.
On September 23, US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said Syria and Israel were nearing a de-escalation deal under which Israel would halt its attacks and Damascus would refrain from moving machinery or heavy equipment near the border.
Israeli outlets later reported the talks had stalled, as Tel Aviv insists on maintaining its nine forward positions captured after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, unless Syria’s new authorities agree to a full peace and normalization arrangement.
Read more: Syria's shifting stance: Is normalization with Israel on the horizon?