TEHRAN – Hebrew media reports that 13 Israeli troops have been injured in Syria after locals resisted another invasion. 

The occupation regime’s latest aggression unfolded in the town of Beit Jinn, in the western Damascus countryside of southern Syria, after occupation forces entered the area, resulting in 38 casualties among Syrian civilians and the arrest of several residents.

Reports indicate that several soldiers fled the town after clashes broke out with residents, who opened fire on the advancing infantry. In their retreat, the soldiers left behind a military Humvee, prompting Israeli warplanes to launch airstrikes to destroy the vehicle and prevent it from being captured.

Local Syrian residents are believed to have opened fire on the regime’s soldiers at close range, and among the 13 troops who were injured, three are reported to be in critical condition. 

Air Force units from the occupying regime reportedly rushed to the scene but were unable to carry out immediate strikes because the occupying troops and the armed locals were positioned too close to one another during the exchange.

Earlier, Syrian sources confirmed 13 civilians were killed and 25 others injured in the Israeli airstrikes and aggression on Beit Jinn. At least two children are among the fatalities while several civilians remain stuck under the rubble.

Israeli occupation forces are believed to have withdrawn to the outskirts of Beit Jinn, 10 km away from the border with Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Funeral processions were held in Beit Jinn as the town mourns its dead. Syrian sources reported intense Israeli drone activity over Beit Jinn and parts of the western Damascus countryside.

Syrians also said that an occupation regime unit invaded and patrolled a village in the Quneitra countryside, informing residents that digging and fortification work would soon begin west of the village. Israeli warplanes were also seen flying over Quneitra province.

The latest developments underscore a widening Israeli pattern to occupy more Syrian territory and to steadily undermine its security. 

Apart from widening its illegal occupation, the regime seeks to control strategic sites such as key Syrian water reserves that serve as a lifeline for communities as well as areas it deems too valuable to relinquish. This posture signals the likelihood of deeper instability in the period ahead.