The IDF struck a terrorist in southern Syria on Saturday who was in the “final stages” of preparing a terror attack against Israeli soldiers, the military said.
According to Army Radio, the terrorist was planning an improvised explosive device (IED) attack on IDF soldiers in the area.
The statement by the military follows reports earlier on Saturday that one person was injured by an IDF drone strike in Syria on the outskirts of Damascus, according to Qatari state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera.
The Israeli drone struck a vehicle in an Al-Ayn area farm, the report added, with an IDF spokesperson telling Maariv at the time that the details of the reported strike are being investigated.
Strike follows attack on Syrian airbase
The strike follows an IDF attack against the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Idlib province in northwestern Syria on Tuesday.
US Special Envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack suggested in an interview earlier on Saturday that the IDF strike may have been intended to provoke Ankara and could have been linked to political considerations ahead of Israel’s elections.
After Barrack's statements, Defense Minister Israel Katz said they were "full of inaccuracies" and argued they contradicted US President Trump's positions.
"The attempt by opposition figures and parts of the media to paint the operation in Syria in political colors stems from a combination of ignorance, a lack of understanding of Israel’s security interests, and a constant desire to attack the government, and deserves every condemnation.
"The response of US envoy Barrack is full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict US President Trump’s own position regarding the Golan Heights.”
Katz added that the IDF issued a direct warning to senior Syrian officials before strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airfield "in an attempt to prevent the move."
"After the request went unanswered, the prime minister and I authorized the IDF to carry out the strike, and it was carried out successfully. Erdogan was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was forced to back down," Katz added.
"We will not allow any party to endanger the security of the State of Israel, and we will act against every threat – just as we also acted today in southern Syria," he concluded.
Idan Kweller and Avi Ashkenazi contributed to this report.