The Israeli military said Friday its forces carried out overnight raids in southern Syria, arresting several suspects accused of planning attacks against Israeli troops along the northern border. Weapons were also confiscated during the operation, the army said.
The IDF said the raids were conducted by the 226th Brigade under the 210th Division, with support from Unit 504 field investigators. The division’s troops remain deployed in the area “to thwart attempts by terrorist groups to establish themselves and to protect Israeli civilians,” the statement said.
IDF operations in southern Syria
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The confirmation followed days of reports from Syria describing a large Israeli operation near the town of al-Kiswah, about six miles from Damascus. Syrian state media said troops had discovered surveillance and listening devices in the area, prompting Israeli drone strikes that killed at least eight soldiers from the Syrian army’s 44th Division.
Over the next 48 hours, Israel was accused of continuing to strike the site to block reinforcements, before launching heavier air raids on nearby military facilities. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said around 10 Israeli strikes hit positions close to the Damascus International Fairgrounds, where President Ahmad al-Sharaa was attending an exhibition.
Syrian outlets also reported that Israeli helicopters landed dozens of soldiers near Jabal Manaa, a former Iranian-run air defense base now controlled by the Syrian army. The soldiers reportedly operated for more than two hours before withdrawing without clashes.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the raids as a “grave violation” of its sovereignty and international law. Israel rarely comments on such operations, but Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X Thursday that “our forces operate day and night in every arena for Israel’s security,” a remark widely seen as an indirect acknowledgment.
For the past decade, Israel has carried out what it calls the “campaign between wars,” striking targets in Syria linked to Iran and Syrian government forces, often without public acknowledgment. But in recent months the military has increasingly claimed responsibility for some operations, including February strikes that hit dozens of targets and involved more than 20 fighter jets.