Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a high-stakes overnight operation in southern Syria early Friday, targeting a cell of the Jaama Islamiya terror organization. Troops from the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade entered the town of Beit Jinn, located approximately 11 kilometers east of the Israeli border, to apprehend suspects accused of planning imminent attacks and launching rockets against Israel. While the mission resulted in the successful arrest of key terror suspects and the elimination of several gunmen, six IDF reservists were wounded during a heavy ambush.
Combined reports from The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, and T24 news site indicate that the operation was launched following intelligence regarding two brothers affiliated with Jaama Islamiya. While the Israeli military confirmed the elimination of three terrorists and the capture of the primary suspects, T24 and Syrian sources reported a higher death toll, alleging that up to 13 people were killed in the clashes and subsequent airstrikes, and claiming significant civilian infrastructure damage.
The operation began shortly before 3:00 a.m. when IDF troops entered the village and apprehended the two targeted brothers in their beds. However, the extraction proved volatile. As the convoy attempted to exit Beit Jinn, the troops were ambushed in what military sources described as a pre-planned attack. Heavy machine-gun fire disabled an IDF Humvee, forcing the soldiers to abandon the vehicle. To prevent the equipment from falling into enemy hands, the IDF later destroyed the vehicle via an airstrike.
In response to the ambush, the IDF utilized tanks, pilot-manned aircraft, and drones to provide cover fire. "Several armed terrorists opened fire at the troops, who responded with fire toward the terrorists, along with aerial assistance," the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stated.
The fierce exchange of fire resulted in injuries to six reservists. Three were severely wounded, one moderately, and two lightly. All were evacuated by helicopter to the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa. Two of the severely wounded soldiers were immediately taken into surgery before being transferred to the intensive care unit.
Jaama Islamiya, a Sunni faction and branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, has increasingly cooperated with Hamas and Hezbollah infrastructure in Syria and Lebanon. Defense Minister Israel Katz recently noted that various armed groups in Syria are actively considering incursions into the Golan Heights.
The operation has sparked immediate diplomatic condemnation. The Syrian Foreign Ministry labeled the raid a "full-fledged war crime," demanding intervention from the UN and the Arab League. Conversely, Uri Kellner, head of the Golan Regional Council, praised the preemptive action. "The overnight operation illustrates the importance of defense from within a buffer zone to keep the enemy away from the border," Kellner stated.
In a separate but related security incident reported by T24 during the same timeframe, IDF troops detained eight Israeli settlers from the "Bashan Pioneers" movement who attempted to breach the border fence to enter Syrian territory near Mount Hermon using chainsaws, further complicating the security situation in the Golan sector.