The Israeli armed forces announced today that they had conducted an operation in southern Syria to arrest suspects, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported. Those detained in the village of Beit Jin are members of the organization “Jemaah Islamiyah“, an ally of “Hamas“, BTA reported.
The operation comes after several weeks of intelligence gathering indicating that the group was preparing attacks against Israeli civilians. The Israeli military was fired upon and returned fire, supported by air support, with three soldiers wounded.
The army said that all the suspects were detained and several militants were killed. Troops remain in the area and operations against perceived threats will continue.
Israel has carried out frequent strikes in Syria this year, including on the outskirts of Damascus and in the south of the country, in an attempt to deter threats against itself and protect the Druze community near the border. Israel insists its operations are targeting armed opposition groups, while Syrian authorities say soldiers have been killed in the strikes.
Syrian state television said 10 people, including women and children, were killed in the latest Israeli operation, with others buried under rubble, AFP reported.