Syria has condemned an Israeli attack on the village of Beit Jinn, southwest of Damascus, which officials say hit a civilian vehicle and left several people injured. The attack marks the second known Israeli strike on Syria in the past week, prompting Syria to brand it a 'violation' of its sovereignty and international law - because nothing says 'sovereignty' like a surprise missile visit.

In a post on X, the Israeli military claimed it had targeted a 'terrorist' in the 'final stages' of preparing attacks that posed an immediate threat to soldiers. So, a targeted strike on a civilian vehicle, but rest assured, it was all very precise and necessary.

The latest incident comes days after reports emerged that Israel had struck a military airbase close to the Turkish border - the Abu al-Duhur airbase, which sits 70km from the Turkish border. Syria said this threatened to escalate tensions in the region, which is a bit like saying fire threatens to be hot.

After the earlier attack, Washington issued a rare rebuke of Israel, calling it an 'unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.' In an interview on Friday, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack suggested the strike could be 'the Israelis baiting the Turks' in an attempt to draw Turkey into a conflict ahead of upcoming Israeli elections. Because nothing says 'election strategy' like provoking a neighboring country.

Israel's far-right Defence Minister Israel Katz described Barrack's account as 'full of inaccuracies,' adding on X that Israeli forces were acting 'in light of clear intelligence information about Turkey's intentions.' So, it's not baiting; it's just 'intelligence.'

Following Tuesday's strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office published a statement: 'Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.' Turkey did not confirm whether any of its troops moved to the airbase, but Ankara rejected Israel's suggestion that it posed a threat. The airbase has been out of service as a dedicated military airfield since 2013, and rebel forces seized control of it as they swept through the country in December 2024.

Israel occupies territory in southwest Syria it seized after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. Syria has been trying to rebuild its military facilities damaged during the offensive that saw Assad's government overthrown. The Turkish military has provided assistance to Syria since then, while Israel continues to view both countries with deep suspicion - because why not add a little more suspicion to the region?

Al-Sharaa has forged closer ties with the West since coming to power, particularly the US, and in November 2025 he became the first Syrian leader to visit the White House. As Jeremy Bowen notes, Syria feels lighter without the Assads' crushing weight - but now there are new problems, like Israeli strikes and Turkish tensions. It's always something.