Israel readies responses; Sunni terror group behind Beit Jinn clash

Security officials said there is no indication so far that al-Sharaa’s people were directly involved, but stressed the incident underscores Israel’s view that it must not allow hostile forces to entrench themselves near the border or withdraw from areas it has seized, especially Mount Hermon, and that there is no realistic path to an agreement with Damascus while Syria remains unstable.

They said the incident reinforces Israel’s view that it cannot allow hostile forces to entrench themselves near the border, and that there is no realistic path to an agreement with Damascus for now because Syria remains unstable. “More than anything, this shows we must not withdraw from the areas we captured, especially Mount Hermon,” officials said.

The unusual battle in southern Syria was with terrorists from al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya, a Lebanese Sunni movement founded in 1964 as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon that later expanded into Syria. The organization’s military wing was established in the 1980s and has since operated in cooperation with other terror groups against Israel, working with Hamas in Lebanon and Syria and with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The group is now expected to suffer a major blow after U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that he will designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.

The organization’s armed wing is known as the al-Fajr Forces. Its operatives have taken part in attacks against Israel during the “Swords of Iron” war, alongside their Sunni allies in Hamas and Shiite partners in Iran’s so-called axis of resistance. The group maintains military sites in southern Lebanon and terror infrastructure along the Syria-Lebanon border, as well as in the Beit Jinn area where the clash took place. It is involved in recruiting and directing operatives and is considered a relatively significant player in the northern arena. During the war, the IDF struck the group’s operatives and infrastructure in Syria and Lebanon.

The group’s secretary-general is Mohammed Takkoush. Over decades, its positions and alliances have largely mirrored those of other regional Muslim Brotherhood branches. The organization is active mainly in Sunni areas, especially border villages. Takkoush has said in the past that the group makes its own decisions on the ground, while coordinating closely with Hezbollah. He also said that some of the strikes his organization carried out against Israel were coordinated with Hamas, which in turn coordinates with Hezbollah.

Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese network al-Mayadeen reported this week on a meeting in Lebanon between Bassam Hammoud, deputy head of al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya’s political bureau, and a Hamas delegation headed by Ayman Shanaa, the organization’s national relations chief. The report said those present declared that “the enemy’s attempts to undermine popular support for the resistance approach will always fail.” The group also condemned Israel after an unusual strike two weeks ago near the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, where 14 Hamas terrorists were killed.

Trump’s order against the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to restrict the Sunni organization and harm its activity. The Brotherhood has been accused in the United States of incitement and radicalization among Muslim youth and of undermining Middle East stability, and the designation comes amid growing concerns in Washington over the group’s global operations. In Israel, officials praised the president’s decision. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has already outlawed parts of the organization and is working to complete that process soon.

In October 2023, after Hamas’ terror attack on communities near Gaza, Lebanon’s pro-Hezbollah daily al-Akhbar published an interview with Takkoush. He said at the time that Hezbollah, al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya, Hamas and Islamic Jihad were “distracting Israel so it stays alert and keeps about a third of its army on the northern front.” He claimed his forces hold “modest weapons” and are “developing ourselves.” He spoke of ties with Iran “around the resistance,” but said the group operates independently.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer on Friday and met two of the wounded soldiers. Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth also arrived. “The chief of staff shook my son’s hand and came to strengthen him and his friends,” the father of one of the wounded told Ynet. The soldier, wounded by a bullet, was listed in light condition. “He’s very tired from what he went through. We appreciate Zamir’s visit.”

The father said his wounded son is a 25-year-old student who was serving in Syria and was supposed to return home Thursday evening. “He called to say he was delayed and would arrive Friday. He didn’t want to say too much about the activity,” the father recalled. He noted that his son has a twin brother and that both have fought over the past two years, including in Gaza. The twin recently finished a reserve rotation.

Maj. A., deputy commander of the 55th Brigade reconnaissance battalion, described the clash: “We’ve been here for more than two months on a defensive mission facing Syria. Last night we succeeded in foiling terror infrastructure in deep villages of wanted suspects who sought to harm Israel’s home front. Terror has to meet the army, so we’re here to ensure it doesn’t reach our citizens and families. In this heroic battle we have several wounded in the battalion, and we wish them a speedy recovery and embrace them. We hope for a quiet rest of the Sabbath.”

Across Syria, numerous protests were reported on Friday against the Israeli action in the south, including the burning of Israeli flags in Damascus. Syrian media said demonstrations erupted after the Beit Jinn clash, including in rural western Hama. In Homs, chants were heard: “Zionist, listen, the Syrian people will not kneel.”

A Beit Jinn resident described events from his perspective: “We were asleep, and at 2:30 a.m. Israel entered from the northern side of the village to take someone. We don’t know if they were wanted or not. They entered and took the first man, then the second. After that they returned to take the third. Locals attacked them and the clashes began.”

Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa criticized Israel in an interview with the Syrian TV channel al-Ikhbariya, claiming it is “trying to destabilize the state through military raids.” He called Israel “a challenge to Syria,” alongside ISIS, the SDF Kurdish militia, remnants of the old regime, Hezbollah and Iran.