A recent Israeli airstrike on the Syrian town of Beit Jinn has killed 13 civilians, including women and children, and wounded two dozen others, drawing fierce condemnation from monitoring groups who have labeled the attack a war crime and a blatant violation of international law.

The strike, which occurred on Friday, November 28, followed a ground incursion by Israeli forces into the town, located approximately 10 kilometers from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. According to local sources, the incursion sparked limited clashes with residents, which were followed by a retaliatory bombardment that resulted in significant civilian casualties.

The organization Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) issued a detailed statement condemning the assault. The group affirmed that "targeting civilians constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions," adding that such incursions into Syrian airspace and territory represent a "blatant breach of sovereignty and international agreements."

The human toll of the attack was vividly illustrated by reports from Syria’s official news agency, SANA, and local witnesses, who confirmed that six members of a single family were among the victims. The tragedy was further personalized on social media, where users circulated the story of Hassan al-Saadi, a 25-year-old shepherd who was killed on his wedding night after reportedly confronting an Israeli patrol inside Beit Jinn.

A Pattern of Escalating Violations

WJWC contextualized the Beit Jinn massacre as the latest incident in a documented escalation of Israeli military operations within southern Syria. Since the beginning of January 2025, the organization has recorded dozens of assaults and violations concentrated in the provinces of Quneitra, Daraa, and the Damascus countryside.

These violations extend beyond aerial bombardments. WJWC documentation includes incidents of house demolitions, civilian arrests, the seizure of agricultural land, and the establishment of military checkpoints that severely restrict the movement of local residents. In one notable example from June, Israeli forces demolished at least 15 homes in rural Quneitra. Residents testified that these properties were inhabited before their occupants were forcibly displaced.

Systematic Policy and International Law

The organization asserts that these repeated incursions are not isolated events but part of a "systematic expansionist policy" pursued by Israel since its initial occupation of the Golan Heights in 1967. WJWC accuses Israel of exploiting the internal turmoil in Syria since 2011 to expand its military presence, conducting repeated strikes and establishing monitoring posts deep inside Syrian territory.

"This violates the principle of sovereignty and the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of states," the WJWC statement emphasized.

The group further stressed that Israel's continued attacks inside Syrian territory—encompassing both ground incursions and airstrikes that kill civilians and destroy homes and infrastructure—constitute "clear war crimes." These actions, WJWC warned, "pose a direct threat to regional and international security," and represent grave violations of both human rights and established international humanitarian law. This pattern of activity also marks a clear breach of the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria.

In response to the escalating situation, WJWC has called upon the international community and the United Nations to open an independent investigation into the Beit Jinn massacre and the broader spectrum of violations committed in southern Syria. The organization is urging world bodies to compel Israeli authorities to immediately halt all military operations inside Syrian territory, respect Syria’s sovereignty, and uphold the rights of its civilian population.