Israel Conducts Ground Raids in Southern Syria
The operation marks IOF's latest ground operation since the overthrow of Syria's previous president in December 2024.
During the night, IOF troops 'completed a mission that included on-site interrogation of several suspects involved in arms trafficking in the Hader region of southern Syria,' near the Golan Heights that Israel annexed, the IOF said in a statement.
The IOF claimed that following gathering intelligence and conducting field interrogations, its 'troops simultaneously entered four locations and found numerous weapons that the suspects had trafficked.'
The military released footage showing IOF soldiers in uniform, operating in armored vehicles and on foot during nighttime operations in the area.
The IOF said one of its troops 'remains deployed in the region, continuing to operate and prevent any terrorist elements from taking root in Syria,' and claimed this is 'to protect Israeli civilians, particularly residents of the Golan Heights.'
The ground operation represents the latest action Israel has taken in Syria, as the IOF has deployed forces in the UN-controlled buffer zone on the Golan Heights after the rebel coalition toppled Bashar Al Assad in December 2024.
Since Assad's fall, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on Syrian military sites. Israeli officials claim they want to prevent Assad's weapons arsenal from falling into the hands of the new authorities, whom they view with suspicion.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also demanded the demilitarization of southern Syria.
Israel's recent interference in Syria took place on July 16, when the IOF launched strikes on Damascus, claiming it was to protect the Druze.
The July Damascus strikes targeted Syrian army headquarters as Israel escalated its campaign against Syrian forces in the southern city of Sweida, where fighting erupted between Druze communities and Syrian security forces. Tags: IOF and SyriaIsraelSyria
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Morocco World
2 hours ago
- Morocco World
Israel Approves Major Illegal Settlement Plan that Could Split the West Bank in Two
Rabat – Israel has approved a controversial illegal settlement project in the occupied West Bank, a move critics say could destroy the possibility of creating a future Palestinian state. The project focuses on the E1 area, an open stretch of land just east of Jerusalem. Plans for building there have existed for more than 20 years but were repeatedly frozen due to international pressure. Israel's government gave the project final approval on Wednesday. The plan includes 3,500 new homes connected to the existing Maale Adumim settlement. If construction begins soon, infrastructure work could start within months, and homes may be built within a year. Palestinians and rights groups warn that the project would effectively cut the West Bank in two, blocking any direct link between its northern and southern cities, such as Ramallah and Bethlehem. This would make it nearly impossible to form a continuous Palestinian state. Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors settlements in the West Bank, said the project's only goal is 'to sabotage a political solution.' Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a former settler leader, celebrated the approval. He said it was a response to Western countries that recently announced they will recognize Palestine as a state. 'The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not with slogans but with actions,' Smotrich said. 'Every settlement, every neighbourhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long rejected the idea of a Palestinian state. He insists Israel must maintain full control over the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Over 700,000 Israeli settlers already live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In recent months, Palestinians have faced more settler attacks, home demolitions, military raids, and restrictions on movement. Smotrich also celebrated approval for another 350 homes in the settlement of Ashael, near Hebron. He has vowed to double the settler population in the West Bank. For Palestinians, the E1 project represents one of the most serious threats yet to their hopes of statehood. Tags: GazaIsraelPalestineWest Bank
Morocco World
11 hours ago
- Morocco World
Microsoft Employees Stage Protest Over Ties to Israeli Military
Casablanca – Dozens of current and former Microsoft employees occupied the company's central plaza in the Redmond, Washington headquarters, protesting its alleged role in aiding Israeli military operations in Gaza through its Azure cloud services. Led by the group No Azure for Apartheid, the protest unfolded Tuesday afternoon with activists setting up tents and holding placards reading 'Join the Worker Intifada – No Labor for Genocide' and 'Martyred Palestinian Children's Plaza.' The sit-in was sparked by investigative reports from The Guardian and Israeli outlet +972 Magazine, which revealed that Israel's military surveillance agency, Unit 8200, has allegedly stored mass surveillance data, namely recordings of Palestinian phone calls, on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. The data, reportedly used in selecting bombing targets in Gaza, has heightened scrutiny over the tech giant's dealings with Israeli government entities. In a powerful address delivered through a megaphone to a crowd of supporters and fellow employees, protest leader and former Microsoft employee Hossam Nasr declared: 'We are here because over 22 months of genocide, Israel – powered by Microsoft – has been killing and maiming Palestinian children every hour.' Nasr, who was previously dismissed from Microsoft after organizing a vigil for Palestine, referenced the recent killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif in an IDF airstrike. 'He was intentionally targeted. It happened the same week news came out that Microsoft is storing mass surveillance data collected from calls from Palestinians.' Read also: Israel Kills Al Jazeera's Anas Al-Sharif Among Five Journalists in Strike Near Al-Shifa Hospital The group circulated a 3,300-word declaration outlining their demands, calling on Microsoft executives to come to the negotiating table and urging full divestment from Israeli military-linked operations. Microsoft previously stated it had retained the law firm Covington & Burling to conduct an independent investigation into allegations that Azure was used in surveillance that enabled Israel's military operations. That review followed reporting that Unit 8200 intercepted millions of Palestinian phone calls and stored them using Microsoft's cloud infrastructure. In a statement, the company reiterated the same position: 'Based on these reviews, including interviewing dozens of employees and assessing documents, we have found no evidence to date that Microsoft's Azure and AI technologies have been used to target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza.' Nasreen Jaradat, a current Microsoft employee and vocal member of No Azure for Apartheid, voiced frustration at what she called an inadequate corporate response. 'Every single second that we wait, things are worse and worse in Palestine. People are getting hungrier and hungrier.' The demonstration mirrors tactics seen in university campuses across the United States in recent months, where students set up tent encampments demanding institutional divestment from Israel. Despite the peaceful dispersal, the activists have signaled they are not backing down. Read also: 'Blood on Your Hands': Moroccan Engineer Confronts Microsoft Over Gaza Tags: gaza genocideIsraeli Occupation Forces (IOF)Microsoft
Morocco World
11 hours ago
- Morocco World
UN Commends Morocco's Major Gaza Aid Shipment
Rabat — The United Nations commended Morocco's latest initiative to send humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, who are enduring the catastrophe of Israeli-induced starvation. King Mohammed VI has ordered the delivery of 100 tons of food supplies and medicines for the aid shipment to assist the Gaza population. The UN's Secretary General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarri described the move as 'generous' amid the ongoing genocidal siege of the enclave. Speaking to Morocco's official news agency (MAP), Durraji said the UN welcomes the King's decision to provide significant humanitarian assistance to Gaza's population. 'We commend the generosity and the decision taken by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to send important humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza,' Dujarric said. Deploring the catastrophic situation in which people in Gaza lack basic needs, the UN spokesman pointed out that Morocco's aid shipment will help address the suffering and provide the necessary needs. 'Gaza residents lack everything – food, medicine, shelter,' Dujarric said. Meanwhile, he addressed the international community to do 'as much as possible' to push for easing the flow of humanitarian aid to the genocide-torn enclave. The spokesperson also called for pressure on all parties to accept an immediate ceasefire. Israeli Occupation Forces have been denying entry of food and medical aid since March 18, inducing what international organizations call a 'weapon of war.' Morocco's shipment of additional aid comes at a time when the IOF's blockade has killed over 269 deaths, including 112 children, because of famine-related issues. Announcing Morocco's new shipment, the King ensured that aircraft would deliver this humanitarian aid, just like previous shipments, directly and urgently to Palestinian beneficiaries. Morocco has maintained its commitment to supporting Palestinians through multiple aid deliveries during the genocide on Gaza. The King's latest initiative demonstrates Morocco's continued solidarity with Gaza residents facing severe, catastrophic humanitarian challenges due to Israel's genocide. Tags: gaza genocideGaza humanitarian aidKing Mohammed VI
