Syria said Israel had sent 60 soldiers to take control of an area on the Syrian border around Mount Hermon in an operation that violates its sovereignty and poses an additional threat to regional security, Reuters reported.
An Israeli military spokesman said the troops were carrying out routine operational activity in an area in southern Syria, but did not operate in Beit Jin, an area near the Lebanese border and near Mount Hermon.
The incident comes as the two sides are engaged in US-brokered talks to de-escalate the conflict in southern Syria. Damascus hopes to reach a security agreement that could eventually pave the way for broader political talks.
Monday's incident occurred near a strategic hill overlooking Beit Jinn, the Syrian ministry said. Israel has also arrested six Syrians there, according to residents of the area.
The Israeli army said it had made no arrests during the operation in southern Syria, but it had detained one person for questioning after several suspects were identified approaching the area in a manner the army considered a threat to troops.
The area is known for arms smuggling by the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and Palestinian jihadist factions.
Previous Israeli raids have been mostly in the southern province of Quneitra.
"This dangerous escalation is considered a direct threat to regional peace and security," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Israel has cited its own security concerns for its military interventions in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last December, including what he sees as his duty to protect members of the Druze minority in southern Syria.
On the same day, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed developments in Syria and the region with US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack in Damascus, a day after Barrack was in Israel discussing Syria and Lebanon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.