Overview

• Israeli forces entered Beit Jinn before dawn on June 12 and arrested seven individuals whom the military described as Hamas members plotting attacks.
• Syria’s Interior Ministry rejected the militant claims, stating the detainees were local civilians and reporting one person killed by Israeli fire.
• Victims’ relatives identified the man killed as having schizophrenia and denied any affiliation with Hamas.
• The raid marks a continued escalation of Israeli military actions in southern Syria following the December 2024 toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
• Israel has expressed interest in negotiating an updated security agreement with Syria as indirect talks mediated by the US seek to avert broader hostilities.