Israel attacks on Syria, Lebanon persist despite US diplomatic efforts
Israeli strikes and demolitions persist as US-backed talks seek to reduce regional tensions and prevent renewed escalation
DAMASCUS, Syria (MNTV) — Israel has continued artillery fire, air raids, ground incursions and property demolitions in Syria and Lebanon despite U.S.-led diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions and ending hostilities, reports Al Jazeera.
In southern Syria, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces shelled the Bat al-Warda hill near Beit Jinn in the western Damascus countryside and reportedly raided a home in Taranja in Quneitra province.
The attacks came only days after Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held U.S.-mediated talks with Israeli intelligence officials in Jordan aimed at stopping Israeli attacks, arrests and military operations inside Syria.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes inside Syria since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and has moved troops into a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces near the occupied Golan Heights.
Tensions have also risen following an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border, with Israel alleging that Türkiye sought to establish a military presence there. Damascus and Ankara have rejected the allegation.
Marwan Kabalan, an analyst at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, said he did not expect the U.S.-mediated Syria-Israel talks to produce a major breakthrough.
He suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be seeking to escalate tensions on several fronts ahead of Israel’s October election, particularly to strengthen support among right-wing and far-right voters.
In Lebanon, Israeli forces carried out air raids against several areas in the south, including al-Mansouri, Sarbine, Beit Lif and Yater, while artillery fire struck Wadi Zibqin.
Israeli forces also continued demolishing properties in southern Lebanon, including in Hula, while Israeli drones were reported flying at low altitude over Beirut and its southern suburbs.
The attacks have continued despite a U.S.-brokered framework agreement reached in June that envisages a phased Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory in return for the deployment of the Lebanese army and the disarmament of armed groups, including Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has defended the negotiations as the best available path to avoid another devastating war, despite delays and obstacles.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israel’s military strikes has killed 4,350 people and wounded 12,310 since March 2.
The continued attacks and demolitions have also intensified criticism in Beirut over whether the U.S.-brokered framework can actually constrain Israeli military operations.
Political analyst Khaldoun Al-Sharif argued that Lebanon had fulfilled its commitments under the earlier ceasefire but that Israeli strikes and demolitions had continued without meaningful consequences from Washington.
He said the United States should use its influence to pressure Israel to reduce its military activity.
The continued Israeli operations in both countries have raised fresh questions over the effectiveness of U.S. diplomacy.
While Washington has promoted negotiations and de-escalation, the persistence of Israeli military action risks undermining those efforts and prolonging instability across Syria and Lebanon.
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