Israeli Operation Near Damascus

Israeli ground forces conducted an operation near Damascus, at a site previously bombed, according to Syrian state media.

The Israeli air force had struck the same location, near Keswa, killing six Syrian soldiers. Following the second raid, airborne elements of the Israeli army advanced to conduct an operation, the details of which are not yet known.

Since an alliance of Islamist rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israel has launched hundreds of bombings in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that this is the first Israeli ground operation in the Syrian capital region after the fall of the previous regime.

SANA, citing a government source, reported that Syrian soldiers found surveillance equipment in the area before the Israeli operations.

Two Reuters sources said that after the operation, the Israeli commandos withdrew. A spokesman for the Israeli army said they do not comment on foreign publications.

According to a source in the Syrian security forces, the operation had many casualties. Ahmad al-Sara, the de facto president of Syria, was attending the opening of a business exhibition yesterday, near the targeted location.