Shafaq News – Damascus

Residents of the southern Syrian town of Beit Jinn buried the victims of an Israeli military operation on Friday as Israeli drones continued to hover over the area, local sources told Shafaq News.

The funerals took place under tense conditions, with the town still on alert following an overnight ground incursion and drone strikes, according to the sources. Families in Beit Jinn urged the Syrian government to intervene, describing the attack as a “massacre.”

Eyewitnesses told Shafaq News that the confrontation began at dawn when an Israeli patrol entered the town and arrested three men. Residents confronted the withdrawing forces, leading to renewed exchanges of fire. The Syrian Health Ministry said 13 bodies and more than 20 injured individuals were received by hospitals.

Conflicting reports emerged regarding Israeli casualties. The Israeli army stated that six soldiers were wounded, three critically, while Israeli media outlets reported 13 wounded, including three in life-threatening condition.

Beit Jinn, predominantly from the Druze (al-Muwaḥḥidūn) community, lies in a strategically sensitive corridor between Damascus, the occupied Golan Heights, and Quneitra. Its elevated terrain makes it a security buffer for the capital and a direct vantage point over the Golan.