Israeli forces carried out a series of strikes and raids near Damascus on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to reports in Syrian and Arab media.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), which is affiliated with the regime, said that army personnel on a field tour near Jabal Manea, outside the town of al-Kiswah – about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) south of the Damascus International Exhibition – discovered monitoring devices allegedly placed there by Israeli forces.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and SANA both reported that at least three Israeli aircraft struck Syrian military positions, followed by reports of helicopters operating in the area. Syrian media said the initial strikes killed at least eight soldiers from the army's 44th Division.
According to the SANA report, the Israeli strikes, which came as the Syrian soldiers were attempting to remove the monitoring devices, led to the death of several soldiers. Additional airstrikes and drone strikes were carried out to prevent Syrian forces from reaching the post.
Additional airstrikes took place on Wednesday, while Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted the 62nd Damascus International Fair, attended by representatives from numerous Middle Eastern nations involved in Syria's reconstruction efforts, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey, as well as delegates from several European countries.
Lebanese news outlet Al-Akhbar, affiliated with the Hezbollah terror group, stated the Israeli strikes were a dramatic show of force that "stole the show" from the opening ceremonies.
Following the renewed airstrikes, four helicopters carrying IDF soldiers landed at the al-Kiswah outpost on Wednesday to conduct a search and recovery operation, which lasted at least two hours, a Syrian military source told Qatar's Al Jazeera outlet. There were no encounters reported between Israeli and Syrian forces during that operation.
Syrian regime forces retrieved the bodies of their soldiers who were killed in the previous day's strikes after IDF troops departed the area.
On Wednesday, Syrian state TV published footage of Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets firing munitions in the area, claiming that six sites were targeted in the second round of strikes. SOHR claimed that Israel carried out a total of 15 airstrikes over two days.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry called the operations a "grave violation of international law and Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"This is part of the Israeli occupation's repeated aggressive policy, which aims to undermine security and stability in the region," the statement continued.
Israeli media noted that the al-Kiswah outpost had been used by Iranian forces under the Assad regime. The Israel Air Force struck the site several times in 2023, prior to the outbreak of the Gaza War, to prevent the regime from deploying radar and missile systems intended to challenge Israel's freedom of action in Syrian airspace.
Israeli reports assessed that the Israeli troops were likely seeking to gather intelligence from Assad and Iranian units previously stationed at the site.
Although Israeli officials declined to comment on the reports in keeping with longstanding policy, on Thursday morning, Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on 𝕏, "Our forces are operating on all battle fronts day and night for the security of Israel."
Israel has been engaged in talks regarding a security agreement with the government of al-Sharaa.
On Tuesday, the Syrian leader told a group of ministers and Arab journalists that the chances of reaching a security agreement with Israel are high; however, he reportedly told them that the current circumstances are not appropriate for signing a peace agreement with Israel.
Republished with permission from All Israel News