Nine people killed by Israeli forces in southern Syria

At least nine people were killed by Israeli forces in a southern Syrian village overnight, Syrian state television reported Friday, while Israel's army said six soldiers were wounded in an operation in the area.

Syrian state TV said that drones continued to be heard after the attack while people were forced to leave their homes and seek safety.

“There are still people under the rubble who require assistance,” a reporter from Syria TV said.

Israel said it arrested suspected members of what the military called the Islamic Jemaah organisation during an overnight operation in the Syrian village of Beit Jin.

The military said it conducted the operation after gathering “intelligence” that the group was planning to attack Israeli civilians. It said that Israeli troops came under fire.

“The suspects operated in the area of Beit Jin in southern Syria and advanced terror attacks against Israeli civilians,” Israel's military said. It said three of its soldiers were seriously injured.

“During the operation, terrorists opened fire” at Israeli troops, “who returned fire”, the military said, adding that the Israeli forces also struck the area to support the ground troops.

Local official Abdul Rahman Al Hamrawi told AFP that Israel raided the village south-west of Damascus that sits on the foothills of Mount Hermon, sparking clashes.

“The Israeli occupation army raided Beit Jin to arrest three young men from the village, leading to clashes with residents who tried to resist the Israeli incursion,” he said.

“Following the clashes, the Israeli occupation forces shelled the area with artillery and drones.”

On Thursday, the Israeli forces hit Tal Al Ahmar Al Sharqi, in the countryside of Quneitra, with three artillery shells, while Israeli settlers crossed the borders with Syria, according to Syria TV.

Israel stepped up strikes on Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. It hit targets in Damascus, destroyed much of the country's heavy weaponry and sent its troops across the border to seize territory in the south.

Syria's new authorities have avoided