Recent Israeli military activity in and around Beit Jinn (western Damascus countryside, southwestern Syria) has caused concern among residents, who fear a repeat of the Israeli army attack on the area late last year.

Over the past week, the town was subjected to repeated artillery shelling targeting its outskirts. No material damage was reported, but residents fear the shelling could continue. The attacks were preceded by an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle on the Beit Jinn road, which wounded the driver.

Enab Baladi spoke with several residents of Beit Jinn, who described the anxiety caused by the artillery fire. They said the recent Israeli activity prompted some people to leave for neighboring villages when they heard the sound of shells.

Residents added that the Israeli activity has raised fears that shells could strike homes, as well as concerns over a repeat of what happened on December 28, 2025, when an Israeli attack on the area killed 13 people, wounded 20 others, and damaged five homes.

Residents Suffer Amid Israeli Military Activity

One resident of Beit Jinn, identified by the initials Z.A. and withholding his name for security reasons, told Enab Baladi that he heard four shells at around 11 p.m. on August 27. Another attack had occurred on August 25 at around 10 p.m. in the Tal al-Warda area, south of Beit Jinn.

Z.A. added that residents of villages located along the confrontation line with the Israeli occupation live with constant anxiety, particularly when they hear Israeli warplanes overhead or the sound of artillery fire.

He attributed this anxiety to the tragedy that occurred in Beit Jinn last year, which he said remains deeply rooted in residents’ memories. In addition to the Israeli shelling, the incident included the detention of two brothers. One of them, Nidal Akasha, was released on July 26.

He said Israeli violations in the town did not stop with that incident, pointing to an earlier Israeli army operation on June 12, 2025, when an Israeli patrol entered the area, killing one person and detaining seven others.

The continuing hardship has not prompted residents to leave the area, particularly after they experienced the bitterness of displacement and leaving their homes during the former regime’s rule. He said residents are seeking peace and stability, away from the anxiety that has had a significant impact on people’s lives.

Hussein al-Samman, from Mazraat Beit Jinn, told Enab Baladi that the firing of shells and explosions around Beit Jinn are intended to intimidate residents and spread anxiety, particularly after Israeli incursions into Beit Jinn last year.

He added that the resistance put up by the town’s residents at the time prompted the Israeli army not to enter the area again, instead limiting its operations to strikes from a distance.

Since then, al-Samman said, residents have been “hearing plenty of noise but seeing no results,” as he put it.

Israel Steps Up Strikes on Beit Jinn and Surroundings

An Israeli drone targeted a civilian vehicle on August 22 on the road between Mazraat Beit Jinn and Beit Jinn, wounding the vehicle’s driver.

Israeli forces also shelled the area between Beit Jinn and Tel al-Ahmar in western Rif Dimashq on August 27, firing two shells.

The attack targeted the Tal Bat al-Warda area on the outskirts of Beit Jinn. Both shells landed in agricultural land without causing injuries.

The attack came two days after an earlier strike on the same area late on August 25, when the Israeli army fired three artillery shells that landed around the hill.