33 killed, wounded in clashes, Israeli shelling in rural Damascus

Violent clashes erupted on Friday dawn in the town of Beit Jinn in the southwestern countryside of Damascus between armed residents and Israeli forces attempting to storm the area to carry out arrests. This coincided with artillery and airstrikes targeting the outskirts of the town, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

According to initial reports, the clashes and shelling resulted in the killing of at least 13 people, including 7 civilians, among them women and children. The death toll is expected to rise due to the presence of approximately 20 critically wounded individuals, in addition to those missing under the rubble and others detained by the Israeli army. Furthermore, the Israeli army acknowledged that six of its soldiers were injured during the operation, while the shelling caused a house to collapse completely.

On Friday morning, Israeli forces allowed rescue and ambulance teams of the Syrian Transitional Government to enter the town to recover the victims and evacuate the wounded, after subjecting the ambulances to thorough inspections upon entry and exit.

Information indicate that clashes erupted after an Israeli patrol came under fire from a distance of approximately 200 meters, following the arrest of several young men from the town. This resulted in injuring the 6 soldiers and sparked widespread confrontations.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had previously reported an unprecedented Israeli escalation witnessed in southwestern Damascus on Friday dawn, as the Israeli forces, in two military patrols, entered the vicinity of Beit Jinn to carry out arrests, coinciding with heavy shelling on the town's outskirts. This prompted local youths to respond and attempt to repel the incursion.

The Observatory noted that the operation resulted in the deaths of at least 10 people, according to initial reports, with others still missing, while clashes continued amid heavy aerial activity over the area.

J.J