The early hours of Friday, November 28 marked a serious regional escalation after the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) launched a ground incursion followed by airstrikes on the town of Beit Jinn, in the Syrian governorate of Rural Damascus.
The assault began with an infiltration of IOF soldiers with the aim of arresting two Syrian residents, who were allegedly planning to wage attacks on Israel, according to the IOF.
The Israeli ground incursion was reportedly met with armed resistance by the local residents of Beit Jinn who reportedly wounded six IOF soldiers.
Subsequently, Israel began to launch airstrikes and artillery shelling targeting the town. The attacks killed at least 13 people, including two children, and wounded 24 others. Several families have been displaced due to the onslaught as well.
Hassan Abdul Razzaq al-Saadi: the groom who “favored martyrdom over his wedding”
A notable story that surfaced from the Beit Jinn massacre was that of Hassan Abdul Razzaq al-Saadi, a young man whose wedding was supposed to take place on the same day of the Israeli aggression.
Media reports said that Al-Saadi was one of Beit Jinn’s residents, who clashed with the IOF on Friday in defense of his homeland.
Al-Saadi has been widely celebrated by Arab grassroots on social media networks as a heroic patriot, who “favored martyrdom over his wedding”.
Israel may expand Syria’s operation if its finds that the government was involved in Beit Jinn’s clashes
Israeli Channel 13 indicated on Friday night that the IOF is considering the possibility of expanding the military operation in the Syrian territories, if it finds that the Syrian government forces took part in the exchange of fire in Beit Jinn. The potential escalation may include airstrikes, and an arrest campaign.
On Monday, December 1, Syrian Arab News Agency SANA reported that the IOF carried out a ground incursion in different villages in the southern governorate of Quneitra.
The Syrian government condemns the aggression as a “full-fledged war crime”
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement condemning the Israeli offensive on Beit Jinn as a “full-fledged war crime” and a “horrific massacre”.
“The occupation forces’ deliberate and brutal shelling of the town of Beit Jinn constitutes a full-fledged war crime, having committed a horrific massacre that claimed the lives of more than ten civilians, including women and children, and caused large-scale displacement due to the continued, deliberate, and barbaric shelling of the homes of peaceful residents,” The statement said.
The ministry warned that “the continuation of these criminal attacks threatens security and stability in the region and reflects a systematic policy aimed at destabilizing conditions and imposing an aggressive reality by force.”
It added, “Syria will continue to exercise its legitimate right to defend its land and people by all means recognized under international law.”
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