UK envoy denounces Israeli violations of Syria’s sovereignty

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - The UK on Friday criticized Israel’s continued incursions into Syria, calling reports of civilian deaths earlier in the day “unacceptable.”

“We urge Israel to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to fulfill its obligations toward peace, stability and security,” Ann Snow, the UK’s special representative for Syria, said on US social media company X.

At least 13 people were killed, including women and children, and 24 were wounded early Friday in Israel’s attack on Beit Jinn and the road leading to it, in rural areas around the capital Damascus, according to state media.

The Israeli army said in a statement that six Israeli soldiers were injured, including three in critical condition, during the attack.

It claimed that it had detained members of “the Jaama Islamiya,” alleging that they “operated in the area of Beit Jinn in southern Syria and advanced attacks against Israeli civilians.”

The Israeli army staged 48 raids in southern Syria in November, according to an Anadolu tally.

Government data shows that since December 2024, Israel has carried out more than 1,000 airstrikes on Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids into the southern provinces.

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 agreement with Syria.