‘Dozens’ of people cross into Syria, says Israeli army
The Israeli army says “dozens” of civilians crossed the border into Syria from the Majdal Shams area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In a statement on Telegram, the army said troops were working to safely return those who crossed into the territory.
The announcement comes hours after Israel targeted Syria government forces after days of clashes between Bedouin tribes and the Druze community in the city of Suwayda.
Syria condemns Israeli strikes, calls on UN to uphold international law
Syria’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement criticising Israeli air strikes, calling the attacks a “blatant violation” of its sovereignty and international law.
In a statement posted on X, Damascus said the “treacherous Israeli aggression” targeted government positions in Syrian territory. It accused Israel of trying to destabilise the country at a time when it’s seeking to “consolidate security and emerge from the aftermath of war”.
The strikes come after days of clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes in the southern city of Suwayda.
The ministry said Israel’s attack was “coordinated” and timed to “undermine national stability” and “strike at Syrian unity”.
It holds Israel “fully responsible” for the assault and its “consequences”, and urged the United Nations and international community to condemn what it called a “criminal act”.
Syria reaffirmed its right to defend “its land and its people by all means permitted under international law”.
UN chief urges Israel to respect Syria’s sovereignty
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has pressed Israel to stop violating Syria’s sovereignty following recent Israeli bombardment, warning of the risk of wider regional instability.
“The secretary-general is also concerned by Israel’s air strikes on Syrian territory, and calls on Israel to refrain from violations of Syria’s independence, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity,” Guterres’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
Guterres also voiced alarm over the ongoing violence in southern Syria’s Druze-majority Suwayda governorate, where recent clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin fighters killed more than 30 people dead and dozens more injured.
“He is disturbed by reports of arbitrary killings of civilians, sectarian incitement and the looting of private property,” Dujarric said, adding Guterres “condemns all violence against civilians, especially acts that risk inflaming sectarian tensions”.
In response to an Israeli minister calling for the “elimination” of Syria’s president, Dujarric said, “The last thing this region needs is more incitement to violence and more violent rhetoric.”
