Israeli incursions into southern Syria ‘politically motivated’

Gamal Mansour, a political science lecturer at the University of Toronto, has said Israel’s latest incursion into southern Syria is likely a “pressure tactic” aimed at pushing the new Syrian government to agree to a security deal more favourable to Israel.

“The Israeli incursions right now do not seem to have any security leg to stand on,” Mansour told Al Jazeera. “These are politically motivated. I think they are part of a pressure tactic that Israel is trying to apply to the al-Sharaa government so that the al-Sharaa government either breaks under these pressures or folds in front of Israel and gives Israel a maximised type of peace deal.”

Israel hopes such a deal, he said, would enable it to keep its “current possessions in place”, retain “maximum freedom of action” and offer Syria “absolutely no guarantees”.

Israel is “raising the bar to an impossible threshold for the Syrian regime right now to meet”, Mansour continued.

“This is trying to basically move the Syrians into a position where either they say ‘no, we can’t have a deal right now’ and then it’s on them, or they move to a deal on Israel’s terms, which is full-blown ascension into the Abraham Accords, which is completely impossible for the current Syrian regime.”

Yemen’s Houthis decry Israeli attack on Syria’s Beit Jinn

Yemen’s Houthis have condemned the “treacherous Israeli attack” on the southern Syrian town of Beit Jinn.

In a statement, the armed group said the ground incursion and air strikes represent a flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty and a further expansion of Israel’s occupation policies. It praised residents of the town for “heroic resistance” during their confrontation with Israeli forces that wounded six troops.

Armed resistance is the only “effective deterrent against Israeli aggression”, it said, warning concessions won’t stop Israel’s “expansionist agenda”.

The Houthis also affirmed Syria’s right to respond to the assault “by all available means”.

Israel refusing to give up seized Syrian territory and may ‘expand presence’

Haid Haid, a consulting fellow with Chatham House, says Israel has repeatedly launched violent incursions in southern Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last December, but today’s raid appears to be the first time fed-up villagers fought back.

At least six Israeli troops were wounded during the assault early Friday, which the army said was carried out against people “promoting terrorist plots against the citizens of the State of Israel” in Beit Jinn.

“I think it’s not surprising after months of operating freely, grabbing whoever they want, and killing people that communities there would fight back,” Haid told Al Jazeera from London.

Israel seized Syrian territory in the country’s south after al-Assad was ousted for what it calls a “security zone”.

“Although Syria has not posed any threat and the Syrian government has been saying we are more than willing to discuss an arrangement that will address your security concerns, the Israelis have been refusing to do that,” said Haid.

“And I think one of the main reasons is their unwillingness to let go of those [Syrian] territories while potentially expanding their presence there.”

Gulf nations call for response to Israel’s deadly attack on Syria

Gulf Arab states have denounced Israel’s attack on a village in southern Syria that killed 13 people, including children, calling it a violation of sovereign territory and international law.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the escalation “deepens tensions and undermines efforts to achieve security and stability in the region”.

It called on the international community to take immediate action to stop Israeli violations, protect civilians, and hold those responsible accountable under international law.

Saudi Arabia said in a Foreign Ministry statement that it “condemns and denounces the blatant assault” by Israeli forces in its attempts “to undermine the security and stability of Syria and its people”.

In a statement, Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack. “These criminal assaults are merely an extension of Israel’s destabilizing approach that threatens the security and stability of the region and undermines regional and international efforts aimed at de-escalation.”

Damascus says Israeli strike reflects fear of a stable Syria

Ibrahim Olabi, Syria’s representative to the UN, has condemned Israel’s latest attack on the southern town of Beit Jinn, saying it further exposes Israel’s disregard for international law and reflects its fear of a strengthening Syria.

The incident is “yet another indication to the world of which country in the region is the one abiding by international law and which isn’t”, Olabi told Al Jazeera.

It highlights “who really wants a peace deal, a security agreement – who wants to be able to get the region into stability – and who doesn’t”, he added.

Israel is acting out of anxiety over Syria’s trajectory and its growing “regional and international prominence”, he said. “Israel is terrified by a strong and prosperous and stable Syria. We are heading in that direction no matter what.”

He described Israel’s latest assault as a signal aimed not only at Syria, but also at its allies. The attack indicates Israel is “running out of options”.

Internationally, Olabi said, Israel has “no sympathy whatsoever” and “no arguments to rely on in order to justify what they’re doing”.

Hezbollah vows retaliation after senior commander killed in Israeli strike

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem says the Lebanese group has the right to respond to Israel’s killing of senior commander Haytham Ali Tabtabai and will “set the timing” for retaliation.

In a televised speech, Qassem described the Israeli air raid that killed Tabtabai and several others as “blatant aggression”. Qassem also welcomed Pope Leo’s visit to Lebanon, saying he hoped it would contribute to bringing peace and stopping Israel’s attacks on the country.

Despite Israel and Hezbollah agreeing to a ceasefire last November, the Israeli army continues with air raids across the south and parts of eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

On Sunday, Israel attacked the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut, killing five people, including Tabtabai.

Main events on November 28th

• Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem says the Lebanese group has the right to respond to Israel’s killing of senior commander Haytham Ali Tabtabai and will “set the timing” for retaliation.
• A UN committee has urged Israel to set up an independent investigatory commission to investigate claims of torture of Palestinians, saying the situation has “gravely intensified” since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza.
• Gulf Arab states have denounced Israel’s attack on a village in southern Syria that killed 13 people, including children, calling it a violation of sovereign territory and international law.
• Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says he intends to change investigation procedures into shootings by troops after the killing in cold blood of two Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank.
• Gaza’s Civil Defence agency issued an urgent appeal as a new winter storm is expected to hit the enclave in the coming days, warning war-displaced Palestinians remain exposed to life-threatening cold.

witnessed war crimes in Gaza, now pro-Israel lawyers want to SILENCE me

After saving lives and witnessing war crimes in Gaza, British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu Sitta is due to face his tenth legal action brought forward by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKFLI), which have cost him over £100,000 in fees.

He told Declassified: ‘The aim is never to win. The aim is financial and mental attrition’.

UKLFI have launched countless legal actions across the UK to counter what they call anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist actions. Included in their list of 'achievements', are campaigns to get children’s artwork removed from a hospital, to close a breast cancer centre in Palestine, and change school textbooks in the UK.

How Palestinian History Is Systemically Forgotten (w/ Micaela Sahhar) | The Chris Hedges Report

Micaela Sahhar reframes monumental events in Palestinian history through an intimate lens of her own family’s displacement during the 20th century.

Trump silent amidst global outrage on Jenin video; unthinkable step by UK govt. | Janta Ka Reporter

The video from Jenin involving IDF soldiers has evoked widespread criticism even as western leaders chose to look the other way. This comes amidst the UK government resorting to an extraordinary step by removing the judge who was expected to hear an appeal by Palestine Action against their proscription. Rifat Jawaid questions the silence of Donald Trump and his allies in Europe over the video from the occupied West Bank. He also compares the removal of the judge in the UK with that of India where it’s common to misuse the powers by the government.

UN condemns ‘brazen killing’ of Palestinians in West Bank

he UN says it's 'appalled' by what it called the 'brazen killing' of two Palestinian men by Israeli forces in the Occupied West Bank, describing it as an "apparent summary execution'.

The incident - which Israel says is being investigated - comes amid widening Israeli military operations across the Palestinian territories and neighbouring countries in recent days. An IDF raid on the Syrian village of Beit Jinn overnight killed at least 13 people. The IDF say they were targeting terror suspects, but Syria's government labelled it a 'war crime'. Israel has also continued to strike Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. While in Gaza - strikes have been reported in Rafah, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of repeated ceasefire violations. A warning; this report contains distressing images.

Pensioners in Derry stand firm as UK arrests thousands over Palestine Action support

In Derry, Ireland, a small group of elderly protesters gathers each week outside the town hall, holding cardboard signs declaring support for Palestine Action, now banned under UK terrorism laws. Since the July proscription, more than 2,000 people have been arrested nationwide for showing solidarity with the group, a crackdown that followed activists’ break-in at RAF Brize Norton.

While police in London have hauled protesters away for identical signs, officers in Derry mostly stand back as the pensioners hold their quiet vigil. For many here, the ban echoes past repression and feels like a stark warning that hard-won freedoms are once again under threat.

Israeli forces injure hundreds of Palestinians in raids on Tubas, West Bank

Israeli forces have wounded more than 200 Palestinians in raids on the West Bank governorate of Tubas, as a major offensive on northern parts of the occupied territory that began on Wednesday continues to inflict widespread destruction.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) told Al Jazeera that 78 of the people wounded in Israeli attacks on Tubas since Wednesday required treatment in hospital.

After withdrawing from Tammun and Far’a refugee camp on Friday, Israeli soldiers have shifted the focus of raids to the city of Tubas, as well as the nearby villages of Aqqaba and Tayaseer.

Local officials said Israeli forces have detained nearly 200 Palestinians in the past four days. Most were interrogated on site and let go, but at least eight people were arrested and taken to Israeli military jails.

At least nine Palestinians were detained in other military raids in Qalqilya, Jenin and Nablus. The Wafa news agency quoted local sources as saying on Saturday that two children and a woman were among five arrested at dawn in Qalqilya.

PRCS also said 10 Palestinians were injured in an Israeli settler attack near the village of Khalayel al-Louz, east of Bethlehem, Wafa reported. Of those, one person was shot in the thigh and three others were beaten and taken to hospital.

Violent raids by Israeli soldiers and attacks by armed settlers have escalated since October 2023, with 47 army incursions taking place on average every day across the occupied West Bank in November.

The mayor of Tammun told Al Jazeera that while the town in the Tubas governorate was subject to dozens of raids in the past couple of years, the ones this week were the worst in terms of scale, destruction and violence.

He said that more than 1.5km (one mile) of roads have been torn up, water networks destroyed, private property vandalised and people severely beaten, repeating the pattern of other major Israeli military attacks across the occupied West Bank.



CNN couldn't ignore the field executions, but takes a big defensive stance for the IDF

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/27/middleeast/jenin-west-bank-israeli-military-men-killed-intl-latam

Nahari said that his clients genuinely believed their lives were in danger, and that the Border Police had commanded the suspects to remove their clothes to ensure that they were not armed, but they did not comply.The lawyer added that “the shooting was conducted merely for the sake of neutralizing them and not with the intention to kill.”

Yeah that's why the bulldozer dropped the garage door on top of them after 'neutralizing' the unarmed suspects.

The actual story doesn't appear in the article until 11 paragraphs and 3 commercials down the page. Of course also never mentioning armed resistance against occupation is a right under international law:

Armed resistance against an occupying power is primarily governed by the laws of occupation, particularly the 1907 Hague Regulations and the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention. Additional Protocol I (1977) to the Geneva Conventions expanded this by explicitly recognizing the right of peoples fighting against colonial domination and foreign occupation to use armed struggle, including through national liberation movements.

The ICJ made it very clear last year https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204176 Israel's occupation of the West Bank is illegal in every way.

But keep calling them terrorists...

Gaza death toll surpasses 70,000 as Israel keeps up attacks despite truce

The death toll from Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza has surpassed 70,000, the Health Ministry in the enclave says, as Israeli military attacks continue.

The ministry said on Saturday that at least 70,100 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip since Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza began on October 7, 2023. More than 170,900 others have been wounded.

The grim milestone comes as Israel has continued to launch attacks on Gaza despite a United States-brokered ceasefire with Hamas that came into effect last month.

Medics reported earlier on Saturday that two Palestinian children were killed in an Israeli drone attack on the town of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that drones dropped a bomb on a group of civilians near al-Farabi School on Saturday morning, killing two brothers, Juma and Fadi Tamer Abu Assi.

The two boys were taken to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis with critical injuries, where they were later pronounced dead, medical sources said.

The area targeted by the attack lies beyond the so-called Yellow Line marking the Israeli forces’ redeployment boundary agreed under the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10, sources said.

Also on Saturday, the Israeli military launched ground, naval, and air attacks on several parts of Gaza.

Medical sources reported that three Palestinians were injured as a result of Israeli artillery and air bombardment in the town of al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Younis.

Israeli aircraft also launched raids in the Tuffah neighbourhood, in the east of Gaza City, on Saturday morning.

Additionally, attacks hit the eastern areas of Rafah city in southern Gaza. The attacks come a day after Nasser Medical Complex announced the killing of a Palestinian by Israeli drone fire beyond the Yellow Line in the town of Bani Suheila.

Ismail al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said on Friday that 535 Israeli violations had been documented since the ceasefire took hold.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating at an unprecedented rate, and the Israeli aggression has destroyed infrastructure and essential services,” al-Thawabta said in a statement.

Greta Thunberg Joins ROME Rally as Thousands March for Gaza

Thousands gathered in Rome as a large pro-Gaza demonstration brought together activists, civil society groups, and international figures. Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined the march, standing alongside UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese as crowds called for humanitarian protection and renewed international attention on Gaza. The demonstration reflected growing public pressure across Europe for stronger diplomatic action and civilian safeguards in the region. This coverage highlights the scale of the Rome protest, the key figures involved, and the broader political context surrounding Italy’s response to the conflict.

Israeli forces arrest dozens of Palestinians in raids in Salfit governorate

Israeli forces have arrested dozens of Palestinians in a series of raids across Salfit governorate in the occupied West Bank. Nine people were arrested in Qarawat Bani Hassan, while 25 were detained in az-Zawiya, before many were released.

Another 11 people were detained in the village of Mas’ha.

Four wounded in Israeli forces’ attack on activists’ home

Israeli forces have carried out an attack on a home hosting international activists in the Bedouin community near Jericho.

Four volunteers were wounded, one seriously, and taken to hospital for treatment. The soldiers also removed belongings from the house, including passports and mobile phones.

Earlier, we reported several overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, including in Salfit, where dozens of Palestinians were arrested. Many were later released after beatings and field interrogations.

Israeli army launches drone over Jenin camp demolitions

The Israeli army has launched a drone over the occupied West Bank’s Jenin camp as it continues demolition operations there, our colleagues on the ground are reporting.

Israel has been demolishing homes and levelling streets in the camp since announcing on Friday that it would demolish 24 buildings on the site for “operational” purposes.

Last week, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of attempting to forcibly displace Palestinians in the Jenin camp and two other West Bank refugee camps earlier this year, including by intentionally demolishing Palestinian homes and other infrastructure.

It said those acts amount to war crimes and a crime against humanity.

Israeli settlers vandalise irrigation systems on Palestinian land in Jordan Valley

Israeli settlers have raided Palestinian agricultural land in the occupied West Bank, vandalising irrigation systems, the Wafa news agency is reporting. The incident took place in al-Farisiya in the northern Jordan Valley.

In a separate incident, Israeli settlers used a tractor to plough Palestinian farmland north of the town of Sinjil, in what residents said was a signal of the settlers’ intention to seize the land. The agency reported that residents have been unable to access the land since the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, when Israeli authorities declared the land a military zone.

#شاهد| مستعمرون يدمرون شبكات المياه التي تغذي الأراضي المروية، ما ألحق أضراراً واسعة بعشرات الدونمات في الفارسية شمال الأغوار. pic.twitter.com/Wsvx5sDwCT

— شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) November 30, 2025

Israeli forces arrest child in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have arrested a 16-year-old child at a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency is reporting. The boy, from the Far’a refugee camp, was arrested at the Hamra military checkpoint.

Israeli forces intensify drone operations in Jenin

Israeli forces raid two towns in Nablus

Israeli forces have stormed the town of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, our colleagues on the ground are reporting. Fighting has also been reported between young Palestinians and Israeli forces after the latter raided the town of Aqraba, south of Nablus.

Israeli settlers storm Bedouin community in occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers have carried out an attack on the al-Ara’ara Bedouin community in the Jenin governorate in the occupied West Bank, Wafa is reporting. The agency reported that settlers, under the protection of the Israeli army, entered al-Ara’ara, east of the village of Jaba, and provoked Palestinian residents.

The incident came a month after a previous attack by Israeli settlers on the community, in which they assaulted residents and burned their olive trees.

Israeli troops storm towns near Nablus

Israeli forces have raided the towns of Aqraba, south of Nablus, and Sebastia, northwest of the city, in the occupied West Bank, according to Wafa news agency.

Locals said several Israeli military vehicles stormed both towns and carried out what were described as provocative patrols through residential areas. No confrontations were reported during the incursions, but residents said the presence of troops caused tension and restricted movement.

In addition to the raids, Israeli forces set up a military checkpoint north of Nablus, where soldiers stopped vehicles, searched them, and questioned passengers. The measures caused delays for people travelling between nearby communities.

Meanwhile, in Qalqilya, eyewitnesses told Wafa that Israeli forces erected another military checkpoint at the city’s eastern entrance on Sunday evening. Soldiers reportedly stopped citizens’ vehicles, inspected identity cards, and carried out thorough searches, resulting in a severe traffic jam. Residents said the checkpoint remained in place for several hours, significantly disrupting movement in and out of the city.

Settler attack leaves occupied West Bank towns without water

An attack by Israeli settlers on a water well east of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank has cut off the water supply to several Palestinian towns, according to the Jerusalem Water Authority.

It stated that, “on Sunday evening, settlers attacked well number (6) in the Ain Samia area, east of Kafr Malik, which led to the cessation of water pumping from it.”

What’s happening in Gaza right now?

The Israeli army has carried out air raids and home demolitions in the military-controlled yellow zone across the Gaza Strip.

Israeli aircraft strike east of central Gaza’s Bureij camp

Israeli military aircraft have launched a raid east of the Bureij camp in central Gaza, on territory behind the so-called yellow line demarcating areas under Israeli control.

Israeli air raids east of Rafah

Israeli military aircraft have carried out six raids east of Rafah in southern Gaza, our colleagues on the ground are reporting.

Israeli forces carry out demolition operation in southern Gaza

Israeli forces have carried out a demolition operation amid artillery shelling in territory behind the so-called yellow line, east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Israeli army says it killed four people in eastern Rafah

The Israeli army says its forces killed four people in eastern Rafah, claiming they came out of the tunnels before being killed. 

Hamas, Red Cross search for body of Israeli captive in northern Gaza

Hamas fighters, accompanied by Red Cross officials, are searching for the remains of an Israeli captive in Beit Lahiya in the north of the Strip, an Al Jazeera team on the ground reports.