In a series of overnight raids in southern Syria over the past few days, IDF troops arrested several suspects involved in promoting terrorist activity against Israeli forces, the military confirmed on Friday.
Soldiers from the 226th Brigade of the 210th Division, operating in coordination with Unit 504 field investigators, detained individuals suspected of planning attacks targeting IDF personnel. Weapons were uncovered during searches conducted in multiple locations.
These arrests come amid reports of heightened Israeli military activity in southern Syria. On Wednesday, IDF soldiers rappelled from four helicopters to a military post near Kiswa, south of Damascus, according to a Syrian military source cited by Al Jazeera.
Dozens of soldiers reportedly carried out a two-hour operation equipped with search tools. No clashes were reported between IDF forces and Syrian troops.
The raid followed earlier reports by Syria’s Al Ekhbariya TV claiming Israel launched strikes on a former army barracks in the Kiswa area. The location, as well as the nearby Jabal Manea hilltop, had been used by Iranian-backed groups during the rule of the ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
Unconfirmed strikes on former Assad-era base
According to Shams TV, an unofficial estimate suggested nine Syrian soldiers were killed in the Israeli airstrikes, with others wounded.
An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment on the reports, saying only, “We do not comment on foreign reports.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed the developments on Thursday morning, posting on X: “Our forces are operating on all fronts, day and night, for the security of Israel.”