BEIT JIN, Syria (AP) — Israel's army raided a village in southern Syria early Thursday to arrest several alleged agents of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Syrian officials said one person was killed and warned that such incursions stoke regional tensions, while villagers denied having any ties to Hamas.
The Israeli military said those detained during the pre-dawn raid on Beit Jin were suspected of planning attacks against Israel, and that weapons also were found in the area. They were taken back to Israel for questioning, the military said.
Click to Gallery
A man passes a house destroyed during the Syrian civil war at Beit Jin village, southern Syria, where Israeli troops made a pre-dawn raid, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Ahmad Hammadi, who his son Mohammed who was killed in an Israeli pre-dawn raid on Beit Jin village, southern Syria, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Residents sit outside their house in the Beit Jin village, southern Syria, where Israeli troops made a pre-dawn raid, arresting several alleged members of Hamas, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Ahmad Hammadi, center, receives condolences on the death of his son Mohammed who was killed during an Israeli pre-dawn raid on Beit Jin village, southern Syria, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
One person was killed and seven captured in the operation, Syria's Interior Ministry said, while the father of the young man killed said he had a history of mental illness.
Since the fall of President Bashar Assad ’s government in early December, Israeli forces have moved into several areas in southern Syria and conducted hundreds of airstrikes throughout the country, destroying much of the assets of the Syrian army.
Local broadcaster Syria TV described Thursday's raid as being carried out by about 100 Israeli troops who stormed Beit Jin, near the border with Lebanon, and called out the names of several people targeted for arrest through loudspeakers.
Syria's Interior Ministry said such incursions spike tensions in the region. “Such repeated provocative acts are a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty," the ministry said in a statement.
Village official Walid Okasha told The Associated Press that Israeli troops had entered the outskirts of Beit Jin in recent months, but that this was the first time they entered the center of the village. He added that Thursday’s operation came four days after an Israeli drone strike hit a car in the village, inflicting casualties.
“They came targeting specific people,” said Okasha, who denied that Hamas members were in the village.
He said the seven people taken to Israel were all Syrians and that two of them were members of the country's new security forces. He said the man killed suffered from mental illness.
Ahmad Hammadi identified the victim as his son, and told the AP that he had history of schizophrenia. He said his son was shot dead in front of his home, and that he had no links to Hamas. He said two of the captured men were his nephews.
Hussein Safadi said his two sons, Ahmad, 32, and Mohammed, 34, were captured adding that his younger son, who raises goats, had lived in Lebanon for years until recently. He said his younger son was a member of the armed opposition against Assad and recently joined the security forces of the new authorities.
As for why his sons were seized by Israeli forces, “We don't know the reasons," Safadi said.
During a visit to France last month, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent hostilities from getting out of control.
A man passes a house destroyed during the Syrian civil war at Beit Jin village, southern Syria, where Israeli troops made a pre-dawn raid, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Ahmad Hammadi, who his son Mohammed who was killed in an Israeli pre-dawn raid on Beit Jin village, southern Syria, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Residents sit outside their house in the Beit Jin village, southern Syria, where Israeli troops made a pre-dawn raid, arresting several alleged members of Hamas, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Ahmad Hammadi, center, receives condolences on the death of his son Mohammed who was killed during an Israeli pre-dawn raid on Beit Jin village, southern Syria, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.
The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.
“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”
The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.
The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.
“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”
New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.
"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.
The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.
The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.
Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.
The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.
The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.
Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.
Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”
“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.
State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”
The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.
It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
