On February 21, Syria's Foreign Ministry reported that an Israeli drone strike targeting a civilian vehicle in the country's southwest had wounded several people. This marks the latest in a series of near-daily attacks and incursions by Israel in the region.
According to Syria's official Alikhbariya television channel, a man was injured when an Israeli drone struck his truck near the town of Beit Jinn, in the western outskirts of Damascus.
The Israeli military confirmed the attack, saying it targeted "a terrorist cell preparing to carry out attacks" in southern Syria. The activity "posed a direct threat to our forces," the military added.
Syria's Foreign and Expatriates Ministry issued a statement saying Saturday's attack wounded several civilians. It "strongly condemned" the Israeli drone's targeting of "a civilian vehicle." The statement stressed: "This attack is a blatant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and a serious breach of international law, within the context of Israel's repeated attacks on Syrian territory."
Al Jazeera correspondent Adham Abu al-Hussam, reporting from the scene, said the strike hit a small delivery truck on the main road linking the Beit Jinn farmlands to the town. Residents said one victim was a civilian delivery driver. Medical sources reported the injured man was in stable condition with wounds to his right arm.
Local residents reported Israeli reconnaissance drones flying over the area for four days prior. Beit Jinn, located near Mount Jabal al-Sheikh and about 55 kilometers from Damascus, has been targeted multiple times over the past year, including a raid in late November that killed 13 civilians.
Muhsen al-Mustafa, a security and strategic researcher at the Omran Center for Strategic Studies in Damascus, told Al Jazeera the attack could be a message from Israel to the Syrian government. "Israel now views Syria, especially the south, as a security zone where it is trying to fill every vacuum," he said.
al-Mustafa also noted that Israel used similar justifications days ago when it struck the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in Idlib province in northern Syria, aiming to prevent a Turkish military presence. This shows the security zone Israel claims is "not limited to the south" but could extend to the Abu al-Duhur airbase, located about mid-country.
al-Mustafa also suggested Israel chose airstrikes over ground operations partly due to a raid in November that wounded six Israeli soldiers. "Israel constantly seeks to exert pressure and demand more in each round of negotiations," he said.
A Syrian diplomatic source said Damascus remains committed to de-escalation and is pursuing a security agreement with Israel through U.S. mediation, based on the 1974 disengagement agreement.
