Qatar condemned Israel’s latest strike in southern Syria as a serious violation of sovereignty after an operation in Beit Jinn killed at least 13 people.

Qatar has condemned Israel’s latest attack on Syrian territory, describing the incursion and shelling as a “blatant violation of Syria’s sovereignty” and a serious breach of international and humanitarian law.

In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Israeli strikes in the Damascus countryside had caused civilian deaths and further destabilised the region.

It warned that ongoing military operations inside Syria would heighten tensions and undermine efforts to restore stability.

The ministry urged the international community to intervene to stop the violations, protect civilians and ensure accountability. It also reaffirmed Qatar’s support for Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.

The condemnation followed reports from Syrian state media that at least 13 people, including two children, were killed and 25 others injured in strikes on the town of Beit Jinn at dawn on Friday. Shelling that followed the raid forced dozens of families to flee to nearby areas.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Israel was carrying out a “criminal attack” and said an Israeli patrol had deliberately targeted the town after a failed ground incursion, calling the actions a “full-fledged war crime”.

Dr. Tawfiq Hasaba, head of the Damascus Countryside Health Directorate, told Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that 13 people had been killed and 24 wounded.

Patients were taken to al-Muwasat, Qatana, al-Mujtahid and Golan National hospitals.

Israeli forces said they had carried out an operation in southern Syria targeting fighters from Jamaa Islamiya, an Islamist group based in Lebanon and allied with Hamas.

The army said an exchange of fire in Beit Jinn left six Israeli soldiers wounded, three of them seriously.

Najat Rochdi, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, condemned the attack as “a grave and unacceptable violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the Beit Jinn operation was the deadliest since Israel began carrying out raids beyond the buffer zone in southern Syria.

Israel has stepped up incursions and strikes in the area since the fall of Bashar al-Assad nearly a year ago.

In June, Syria accused Israel of abducting seven people from Beit Jinn and killing a civilian. Israel said the men were Hamas members.