Rabat — The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) announced Sunday that they carried out ground raids in southern Syria. IOF claims that raids are targeting arms trafficking operations near the annexed Golan Heights.
The operation marks IOF’s latest ground operation since the overthrow of Syria’s previous president in December 2024.
During the night, IOF troops “completed a mission that included on-site interrogation of several suspects involved in arms trafficking in the Hader region of southern Syria,” near the Golan Heights that Israel annexed, the IOF said in a statement.
The IOF claimed that following gathering intelligence and conducting field interrogations, its “troops simultaneously entered four locations and found numerous weapons that the suspects had trafficked.”
The military released footage showing IOF soldiers in uniform, operating in armored vehicles and on foot during nighttime operations in the area.
The IOF said one of its troops “remains deployed in the region, continuing to operate and prevent any terrorist elements from taking root in Syria,” and claimed this is “to protect Israeli civilians, particularly residents of the Golan Heights.”
The ground operation represents the latest action Israel has taken in Syria, as the IOF has deployed forces in the UN-controlled buffer zone on the Golan Heights after the rebel coalition toppled Bashar Al Assad in December 2024.
Since Assad’s fall, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on Syrian military sites. Israeli officials claim they want to prevent Assad’s weapons arsenal from falling into the hands of the new authorities, whom they view with suspicion.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria.
Israel’s recent interference in Syria took place on July 16, when the IOF launched strikes on Damascus, claiming it was to protect the Druze.
The July Damascus strikes targeted Syrian army headquarters as Israel escalated its campaign against Syrian forces in the southern city of Sweida, where fighting erupted between Druze communities and Syrian security forces.
