Israel announces ground raid in Syria was conducted 'in recent months'

Israel announced Sunday that it carried out a special ground operation in Syria "in recent months," according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF also say they detained an "Iranian terror network operative" during the mission, who they identified as Ali Soleiman al-Assi. They accuse the man of gathering intelligence on IDF troops along the border, and transferred him to Israel for interrogation.

The IDF said al-Assi's arrest "prevented a future attack and led to the exposure of the operational methods of Iranian terror networks located near the Golan Heights."

"The IDF will continue to operate to defend the sovereignty of the State of Israel and will not allow Iranian proxies in southern Syria to operate and threaten Israeli civilians," the IDF said.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.

Last month, the Israeli military launched aerial strikes on western Syria, the Syrian defense ministry said. The ministry added that the strikes hit a military site in Hama and a car assembly plant in Hassia.

Syrian state television also reported that the strikes hit vehicles loaded with medical and relief supplies and ignited a large fire in the area.

In September, Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and sparking fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said at the time. Fourteen people were killed and more than 40 were wounded in the attack.

Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has been clashing with Israeli forces for the past 11 months against the backdrop of Israel’s war against Hamas — an ally of Hezbollah — in Gaza.