Israel announced on Sunday that it had carried out special operations in Syria “in recent months,” according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF also said it had arrested “a terrorist network operative in Iran” during the operation, which it identified as Ali Soleiman al-Assi. They accused the man of gathering intelligence from IDF forces along the border, and handed him over to Israel for questioning.
The IDF said al-Assi’s arrest “prevented future attacks and led to the exposure of the operational methods of Iranian terrorist networks near the Golan Heights.”
“The IDF will continue to work to protect the sovereignty of the State of Israel and will not allow Iranian agents in southern Syria to operate and threaten Israeli citizens,” the IDF said.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on government-held areas in war-torn Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or groups backed by Iran.
Last month, the Israeli military launched airstrikes in western Syria, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said. The ministry added that the strikes hit a military base in Hama and a car assembly plant in Hassia.
Syrian state television also reported that the strikes hit vehicles loaded with medical supplies and supplies and started a massive fire in the area.
In September, Israeli airstrikes hit several areas in central Syria, damaging a highway in Hama province and setting fires, Syrian state news agency SANA said at the time. 14 people died and more than 40 were injured in the attack.
Israel has vowed to stop Iran’s entry into Syria, especially since Syria is an important channel for Iran to send weapons to the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has been at loggerheads with Israeli forces for the past 11 months during Israel’s war against Hamas – which is allied with Hezbollah – in Gaza.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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