DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL

France called on Israel on Sunday to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity after a cross-raid attack killed 13 civilians in the Damascus countryside.

The Israeli army attacked the town of Beit Jinn and the road leading to Mazraat Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside on Friday, killing at least 13 people, including women and children, and injuring several others.

“France affirms the importance of preserving the unity of Syria and its sovereignty and stability in accordance with international law and the disengagement agreement between the Israeli and Syrian forces,” Jean-Baptiste Faivre, France’s charge d’affaires to Syria, said through US social media company X.

Faivre expressed his country’s concern regarding the killings of civilians in Israeli military operations in Beit Jinn, and urged “Israel to respect Syria's sovereignty and the integrity of its territories.”

He called on regional countries “to engage in ongoing efforts to enable Syria to become a center for peace, security, and stability for the benefit of the Syrian people and the entire region.”

Syrian government data showed that Israel has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids into the southern provinces since December 2024.

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.