Israel’s military said on Sunday that it struck a member of Hamas in southern Syria's Mazraat Beit Jin, days after Israel carried out its first strikes on the country in almost a month. Hamas did not immediately comment on the strike.
The attack comes after the Israeli army said on Tuesday that it hit weapons belonging to Syria’s new government in retaliation for the launch of two projectiles towards Israel, the first attack from the Syrian side since the country’s new leadership came to power last year.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he held Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara responsible for the earlier attack, while Syria’s government said reports of shelling aimed at Israel were unverified and stressed that Syria does not pose a threat. “We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.
A little-known group named the Martyr Muhammad Deif Brigades – an apparent reference to a Hamas military leader who was killed in an Israeli strike in 2024 – reportedly claimed responsibility for the previous shelling. Mr Al Shara, a former Al Qaeda affiliate, has sought to portray himself as a moderate leader over the past six months since he led a rebel offensive that toppled Syria's long-time dictator Bashar Al Assad.
Israel and Syria have recently engaged in direct talks to calm tensions, marking a significant development in ties between two states that have been on opposing sides of conflicts in the Middle East for decades. The US has called for a “non-aggression agreement”.
Israel has nonetheless pushed further into southern Syria over the past six months and has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment. It has said the strikes are aimed at countering threats from Iran and its proxies, particularly Hezbollah.
Syria and Israel have technically been at war since 1948. The most notable event in that time was when Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and carried out hundreds of strikes and several incursions. Israel says its latest strikes are aimed at stopping advanced weapons reaching Syria's new authorities.
