Israel Releases Video of IDF Ground Troops Entering Syria on Sunday for ‘Targeted’ Operation
IDF/X
Israeli soldiers entered Syria on Sunday in a snatch-and-grab operation in which a citizen of that country with alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah was captured and taken back to Israel for interrogation.
The ground operation was carried out a year into Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks and as the IDF has struck targets in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran.
The IDF said on its X (formerly Twitter) account Sunday that troops detained a Syrian citizen named Ali Soleiman al-Assi, who intelligence agents had determined was a “terrorist operative.”
Israel’s military shared a video of troops entering Syria in a “targeted operation” to infiltrate a compound that was being used to launch attacks on the Golan Heights.
The IDF said:
Within the compound, the soldiers located underground infrastructure and hideouts equipped with logistical and medical supplies for prolonged stays, military tents, and pits stocked with weapons.
The troops also located and destroyed rocket launchers, high-powered explosives ready to be activated, anti-tank missiles, mortar shells, AK-47 rifles, surface-to-air missiles, and a launcher concealed in a mountain on a several-meter track aimed directly at civilian communities in northern Israel.
The IDF also shared video of an interrogation of al-Assi and released a statement.
The IDF said:
During an intelligence-based, special IDF operation, IDF soldiers detained an Iranian terror network operative in Syria named Ali Soleiman al-Assi. Al-Assi, a Syrian citizen who lives in the area of Saida in southern Syria, was under IDF surveillance and was found to be a terrorist operative. His activity included gathering intelligence on IDF troops in the border area for future terror activity of the network.
The operation prevented a future attack and led to the exposure of the operational methods of Iranian terror networks located near the Golan Heights. Al-Assi was transferred for further investigation. The IDF will not allow Iranian proxies in southern Syria to operate and threaten Israeli civilians. This is footage from the interrogation of al-Assi.
According to the Associated Press, the IDF operation was announced as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured his country’s border with Lebanon.
There is an effort was underway there to prevent Iranian proxies in Lebanon from launching more attacks.
