46°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Israel carried out a ground raid into Syria, officials say

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Sunday it has carried out a ground raid into Syria, seizing a Syrian citizen involved in Iranian networks. It was the first time in the current war that Israel announced its troops operated in Syrian territory.

Israel has carried out airstrikes in Syria multiple times over the past year, targeting members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and officials from Iran, the close ally of both Hezbollah and Syria. But it has not previously made public any ground forays into Syria.

The Israeli military said the seizure was part of a special operation “that took place in recent months,” though it did not say exactly when it occurred. Syria did not immediately confirm the announcement, but a pro-government Syrian radio station, Sham FM, reported Sunday that Israeli force carried out an operation over the summer targeting a man in the south of the country.

The disclosure of the raid comes as Israel has waged an escalated campaign of bombardment in Lebanon for the past six weeks, as well as a ground invasion along the countries’ shared border. On Saturday, an Israeli military official said naval forces carried out a raid in a northern Lebanese town, seizing a man they called a senior Hezbollah operative.

The army identified the man it seized as Ali Soleiman al-Assi, saying he lives in the southern Syrian region of Saida. It said the man had been under military surveillance for many months and was involved in Iranian initiatives targeting areas of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. The man was brought to Israel for interrogation, the military said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the border with Lebanon on Sunday, saying his focus was trying to keep Hezbollah from rearming itself through with Iranian weapons transferred to Lebanon via Syria. Israel says its campaign in Lebanon aims to push Hezbollah away from the border and put an end to more than a year of fire by the group into northern Israel.

Israel’s strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,500 people over the past year. In Israel, 69 people have been killed by Hezbollah projectiles.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued an offensive in the northern Gaza Strip, where the military is battling Hamas terrorists who regrouped there.

A scaled-down campaign to administer a second dose of the polio vaccine began Saturday in parts of northern Gaza. It had been postponed from Oct. 23.

Administration of the first dose was carried out in September across the Gaza Strip, including the north.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Americans have their doubts about Trump’s cabinet picks, AP-NORC poll shows

Relatively few Americans overall approve of Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Defense, or Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for intelligence chief, although a substantial share doesn’t know who those figures are.

Paraguay reopens its embassy in Jerusalem

The decision of President Santiago Peña to reopen the Jerusalem embassy makes Paraguay the first country to make the move since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terrorist attack last year triggered the war.

Trump named Time’s Person of the Year, rings NYSE bell

Sam Jacobs, Time’s editor in chief, said the president-elect was someone who “for better or for worse, had the most influence on the news in 2024.”

FBI director Wray says he’ll resign

Christopher Wray, who has faced repeated criticism from Donald Trump, told FBI employees that he plans to resign when President Joe Biden’s term ends.

Israel steps up airstrikes, sends troops deeper into Syria

Israel stepped up its attacks on military sites in Syria, hitting hundreds of targets early Tuesday and sending troops deeper into the country.

Netanyahu is first Israeli PM to testify at own graft trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the witness stand for the first time in a corruption trial in which he’s accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

MORE STORIES