- Senior security sources report that various terrorist organizations are establishing a presence in southern Syria and planning attacks against Israel.
- Israel has reportedly warned President Ahmad al-Sharaa that if he does not act to prevent terrorist activities targeting Israel, it will take full military action itself.
According to senior Israeli security sources, multiple terrorist elements are gathering in southern Syria and are plotting attacks against Israel from this area.
This prompted an Israeli military operation on November 28 in the village of Beit Jann, south of Damascus.
During the operation, Israeli forces raided the village and arrested three operatives from the “Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya” organization, who, according to intelligence, were planning attacks against Israel, including rocket fire toward the Golan Heights.
The arrested individuals reportedly admitted during interrogation that their organization is linked to terrorism activities connected to Iran, Hizbullah, and Hamas.
During the raid, Israeli forces encountered resistance and live fire, resulting in injuries to six Israeli soldiers. According to Syrian media, 20 villagers were killed in the exchange of fire, some of whom were armed.
Senior political sources stated that, following the incident, Israel conveyed, via the United States, stern messages to the new Syrian regime under Ahmad al-Sharaa, asserting that Israel will not tolerate the establishment of terrorist organizations in southern Syria planning attacks on Israel and that it is Syria’s responsibility to thwart such groups, or Israel will act itself.
These sources further noted that the consolidation of terrorist elements in southern Syria diminishes the prospects of a security agreement between Israel and Syria and underscores that al-Sharaa does not have effective control over all parts of the country.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli attack on Beit Jann, calling it a “complete war crime in all its aspects” and warned that “continuing this criminal aggression endangers security and stability in the region.”
Senior security sources in southern Syria reported that various terrorist groups are establishing themselves in the area, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Houthi-affiliated elements from Yemen’s “Ansar Allah,” ISIS, and elements of Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya.
Additionally, several Sunni Bedouin tribes with jihadist ideologies operate in southern Syria, involved in drug and weapons smuggling.
Some of these tribes participated in the massacre of members of the Druze community in Suwayda alongside forces loyal to al-Sharaa.
“Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya” is a Lebanese organization that U.S. President Donald Trump instructed his secretaries of state and treasury to consider including on the list of “foreign terrorist organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.”
The group was established in 1964 as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon and later expanded into Syria. Its military wing was founded in the 1980s and has since operated in cooperation with other terrorist organizations against Israel, including Hamas in Lebanon and Syria, and Hizbullah in Lebanon.
Lebanese parliamentarian Amad al-Khout, a member of Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, denied Israeli claims regarding the arrest of his organization’s operatives in Beit Jann. On November 28, he told Al-Quds Al-Arabi: “The information published by Israel is incorrect. Our organization has no activity outside Lebanese territory.”
Regarding Israel’s choice to specifically accuse the organization of activity in Syria, he said: “This is done to justify the American decision that designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, a decision that is entirely politically motivated and legally baseless.”
The Israeli military activity in southern Syria has heightened the region’s security complexity. Israel also claims that al-Sharaa’s regime is not preventing the smuggling of weapons from Iran to Hizbullah in Lebanon through this area. For this reason, senior security officials stated that Israel does not trust al-Sharaa regarding counterterrorism efforts.
They believe Israel must now act to strengthen its military control in southern Syria and establish a land corridor for its Druze allies in Suwayda. According to these sources, al-Sharaa is weak and lacks control over significant parts of Syria, especially in the south.
