#SyriaÂ
Arab sources reported Israel Defense Forces (IDF) activity near Damascus and Quneitra
#Y#
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz hinted at the country’s military operations in Syria, following reports of IDF strikes on the outskirts of Damascus and in the south of the country.
“Our forces are operating in all combat zones, day and night, to ensure Israel’s security,” Katz wrote in X on Thursday morning.
The Israel Defense Forces have not officially confirmed the operation.
Syrian state media reported that on Thursday, Israeli ground forces raided a location that had already been attacked by aircraft on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to Arab media, the troops remained at the site for more than two hours during the nighttime operation.
According to the Israel Hayom newspaper, the Israeli Air Force carried out about 15 strikes in southern Damascus, targeting Syrian army barracks to prepare for the arrival of helicopter troops in the towns of Sweida and Al-Kiswah.
On Tuesday, Israeli drones reportedly attacked a military unit near Al-Kiswah, 13 km south of Damascus, killing six soldiers, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry later raised the death toll to eight, condemning Israel’s actions.
The same location was bombed again on Wednesday, according to state television.
A Syrian government source told SANA that soldiers found “surveillance and listening devices” in the area before Tuesday’s Israeli strikes.
Israel Hayom suggested that the operation was likely aimed at preventing the Syrian army from dismantling the listening equipment installed by Israel, and that the strikes prevented Syrian forces from reaching the location.
A Syrian Defense Ministry official told AFP that the site was a former Assad regime military base in Tal Maneh.
According to the MENA Research Center, the base was used by pro-Iran terrorist groups.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the site stored weapons used by Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group.
Two years ago, the Israeli Air Force had already attacked Iranian targets in the same region.
According to the Observatory, this was the first Israeli ground operation since the fall of the Assad regime in December.
Since then, the IDF has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria and taken control of Mount Hermon and a security zone to protect communities in northern Israel.
The SANA news agency also reported an Israeli strike on the village of Tranja in Quneitra province, southwestern Syria, on Tuesday, which resulted in the death of one person.
IDF troops will remain in their positions on Mount Hermon and in the security zone “to protect the communities of the Golan Heights and Galilee from threats from the Syrian side, as a key lesson from the events of October 7,” Katz wrote in a Hebrew-language statement on Tuesday, referring to the Hamas-led invasion of the northwestern Negev on October 7, 2023.
“We will also continue to protect the Druze in Syria,” he added.
Katz’s comments came after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Sunday that progress had been made in negotiations to renew security arrangements with Israel, based on the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement that ended the Yom Kippur War.
While the president said the current moment was not ideal for a peace agreement, he said he “would not hesitate” to seek an agreement if he believed it would benefit Syria and the region.
Last month, Syria expressed a willingness to return to the 1974 agreement with Israel.
After a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said he intends to “cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 separation agreement.”
During a visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on January 28, Katz stated that the IDF will remain in the border region for as long as necessary.
“The IDF will remain on top of Mount Hermon and in the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights, the northern Golan Heights, and all residents of Israel,” Katz stated.
Published in 08/28/2025 15h23
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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