Israel's army says it seized Hamas members in Syria
Since taking over, interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not want conflict with its neighbours. (EPA Images pic)
JERUSALEM : The Israeli army said today that its soldiers seized several suspected members of Palestinian rebel group Hamas in a 'targeted' operation in southern Syria.
Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the raid, but Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one man was killed and seven seized during the raid on Beit Jinn, 12km from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria aimed at denying military assets to the Islamist-led interim administration, which it regards as jihadist.
It has also deployed troops across the demilitarised zone on the Syrian side of the armistice line that used to separate the opposing forces on the Golan.
The Israeli military said troops carried out a 'targeted, intelligence-based nighttime operation in Syria and apprehended several Hamas terrorists'.
It alleged that those seized were plotting attacks on Israeli troops.
The Observatory said a 'major Israeli force' raided Beit Jinn overnight, calling out the names of several young men and arresting seven of them before taking them to 'an unknown location'.
'During the operation, Israeli forces opened fire on a young man near his home, instantly killing him,' the monitor added.
It said the dead man and all of those detained were Syrian 'civilians'.
The raid comes days after the Israeli army said it 'struck a Hamas terrorist in the area of Mazraat Beit Jinn', which neighbours Beit Jinn.
In early June, Israel reported rocket fire from Syrian-held territory towards the Israeli-occupied Golan, the first since Assad's overthrow, and retaliated with a series of strikes on the country.
Since taking over in December, interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not want conflict with its neighbours, urging international pressure on Israel to halt its attacks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tens of thousands rally in Dutch Gaza protest
THE HAGUE: Tens of thousands of people dressed in red marched through the streets of The Hague Sunday to demand more action from the Dutch government against what they termed a 'genocide' in Gaza. Rights groups such as Amnesty International and Oxfam organised the demonstration through the city to the International Court of Justice, creating a so-called 'red line'. Many waving Palestinian flags and some chanting 'Stop the Genocide', the demonstrators turned a central park in the city into a sea of red on a sunny afternoon. Protesters brandished banners reading 'Don't look away, do something', 'Stop Dutch complicity', and 'Be silent when kids sleep, not when they die'. Organisers urged the Dutch government -- which collapsed on June 3 after a far-right party pulled out of a fragile coalition -- to do more to rein in Israel. 'People in Gaza cannot wait and the Netherlands has a duty to do everything it can to stop the genocide,' they said in their call to action. Dodo Van Der Sluis, a 67-year-old pensioner, told AFP: 'It has to stop. Enough is enough. I can't take it anymore.' 'I'm here because I think it's maybe the only thing you can do now as a Dutch citizen, but it's something you have to do,' she added. A previous protest in The Hague on May 18 drew more than 100,000 people, according to organisers, who described it as the country's largest demo in 20 years. Police did not give an estimate for that demonstration. The Gaza war was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas. That assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The militants also took 251 hostages, of whom 54 are still thought to be held in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military has said are dead. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 55,207 people, the majority of them civilians. The United Nations considers the figures reliable. The International Court of Justice is currently weighing a case brought by South Africa against Israel, arguing its actions in Gaza breach the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Israel strongly rejects the accusations.
Malay Mail
36 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Cyprus says it has been asked by Iran to convey ‘some messages' to Israel
NICOSIA, June 15 — Iran has asked Cyprus to convey 'some messages' to Israel, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday, as the east Mediterranean island appealed for restraint in a rapidly escalating crisis in the Middle East. Christodoulides spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and he has also spoken to the leaders of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Greece, his office said. Earlier, Christodoulides told journalists Iran had asked Cyprus to convey 'some messages' to Israel but he did not say who specifically the messages were from or what they said. Cypriot officials offered no clarity on the nature of the messages, which came after the Cypriot foreign minister spoke to his Iranian counterpart on Friday night. Christodoulides also said he was not happy with what he said was a slow reaction by the European Union to the unfolding crisis in the Middle East. Cyprus, the EU member situated closest to the Middle East, had asked for an extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, he said. Projectiles sent by Iran to strike Israel were visible from various locations across Cyprus on Friday and Saturday night. 'It is not possible for the EU to claim a geopolitical role, to see all these developments and for there not to be at the very least a convening of the Council of Foreign Ministers,' Christodoulides told journalists. Cyprus has offered to assist in the evacuation of third-party nationals from the region, and has called on all sides to refrain from actions which could escalate the conflict. — Reuters
Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Trump says US had ‘nothing to do' with Israel's Iran strikes, warns military will respond at ‘levels never seen before' if attacked
WASHINGTON, June 15 — Donald Trump warned Iran today that it would experience 'the full strength' of the US military if it attacks the United States, reiterating that Washington 'had nothing to do' with Israel's strikes on Tehran's nuclear and intelligence facilities. Israel's operation, which began early Friday, has targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing dozens of people including top army commanders and atomic scientists, according to Tehran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to hit 'every target of the ayatollah regime', and Iran has retaliated with a deadly barrage of missiles. While Trump had said he was aware of the Israeli operation before it started, he reiterated Sunday morning on his Truth Social platform that the United States 'had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight.' 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,' he said in a post. He added that 'we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!' On Friday, the US president urged Tehran to make a deal or face 'even more brutal' attacks by Israel. During his first term, a landmark nuclear accord with Iran — negotiated under former president Barack Obama — was torpedoed in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States and reimposed sanctions. — AFP
