Israeli army shells southern Syria area despite de-escalation talks

The Israeli army shelled an area in southern Syria on Saturday despite a recent meeting between Syrian and Israeli delegations aimed at reducing tensions.

“The Israeli occupation army targeted Bat al-Warda Hill near Beit Jinn with four artillery shells,” Alikhbaria TV reported, without providing details about casualties or damage.

The attack came about a week after a Syrian delegation led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met an Israeli delegation in Jordan under US mediation.

Citing a diplomatic source, SANA news agency said the meeting was held as part of efforts to reduce escalation following an Israeli attack on a Syrian airbase.

Last month, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Damascus was working to reach a security agreement with Israel that would pave the way for a comprehensive peace without relinquishing Syria’s right to the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967.

Before the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel frequently carried out strikes on positions in Syria that it claimed were linked to Iranian-backed forces.

Since Assad’s departure, Israel has significantly expanded the scope of its strikes to include weapons depots and strategic military positions across the country. It recently bombed the Abu Duhur airbase in northwestern Idlib.