Israel strikes Syria and Lebanon despite US push for diplomacy
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Israeli forces carried out artillery attacks, ground raids, and air strikes across southern Syria and southern Lebanon on Wednesday. The strikes hit Beit Jinn in Syria and al-Mansouri, Sarbine, Beit Lif, and Yater in Lebanon. The attacks continued despite US-mediated talks between Syria and Israel in Jordan.
Key Facts
- Israeli forces shelled Bat al-Warda hill near Beit Jinn in the western Damascus countryside late on Wednesday.
- Israeli soldiers raided and searched a house in the village of Taranja in the Quneitra countryside, according to Syria's Alikhbariah TV.
- Israeli air strikes hit al-Mansouri in the Tyre district and Sarbine in the Bint Jbeil district, while artillery fire hit Wadi Zibqin and air strikes hit Beit Lif and Yater, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
- Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met Israeli intelligence officials in Jordan for US-mediated talks days before the latest strikes.
- Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syria since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Strikes in Syria
Israeli forces shelled a hilltop near the town of Beit Jinn in the western Damascus countryside late on Wednesday, according to witnesses. Syria's Alikhbariah TV reported that soldiers raided and searched a house in the village of Taranja in the Quneitra countryside. Al Jazeera's Amr al-Halabi, reporting from Damascus, said the shelling of the strategic Bat al-Warda hill near Beit Jinn comes amid repeated Israeli attacks on the town in recent months. An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in the town occurred on Saturday, and a ground raid in the town last year killed at least 13 people, including children.
Strikes in Lebanon
Israeli forces launched air attacks on the town of al-Mansouri in the Tyre district late on Wednesday, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. Air strikes also hit the town of Sarbine in the Bint Jbeil district earlier in the day. Israeli artillery fire hit Wadi Zibqin in the Tyre district, while air strikes hit the towns of Beit Lif and Yater, the NNA reported.
Diplomatic Context
The latest strikes came days after Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad al-Shaibani met Israeli intelligence officials in Jordan for talks mediated by the United States. Damascus described the talks as a bid to end the continued Israeli attacks, arrests, and targeting operations inside Syria. Marwan Kabalan, an analyst at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, said he did not expect the Syria-Israel talks to yield a breakthrough. Kabalan said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to escalate in more than one place ahead of the country's general election in October.
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Israel strikes Syria and Lebanon despite US push for diplomacy
