Last Updated:
Amid its war with Hamas, Israel has detained an alleged operative of an Iranian terror network in Syria, claiming to have thwarted a planned attack near the Golan Heights.
Israel detains Iranian terror network operative in Syria (Video screengrab/IDF)
The Israeli military on Sunday said it detained an “Iranian terror network operative” in Syria after it carried out a ground raid into the country. It was the first time in the current war that Israel announced its troops operated in Syrian territory, the Associated Press reported.
Israel also claimed it thwarted a planned terror attack. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the operative was identified as Ali Soleiman al-Assi, a Syrian citizen, residing in Saida.
In an X post, the Israeli military said it has “detained an Iranian terror network operative in Syria”. It also shared a video of al-Assi being interrogated by officials.
“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,” it added.
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… pic.twitter.com/Q2yAGIliiC
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 3, 2024
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, had previously reported that Israel had seized a Syrian man on July 19, news agency AFP reported.
“Israeli forces detained a citizen who worked as a driver to transport milk to the capital Damascus,” the war monitor said in July.
It added that the Syrian was detained in the village of Al-Razatiya, in a southern province bordering the Golan Heights annexed by Israel.
“An Israeli military force of three cars and an armoured vehicle crossed the border, entered the village and took the man to the occupied Golan Heights,” the observatory said.
Since late October, Israel has been engaged in a full-scale war against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hezbollah began launching cross-border attacks last year, saying it was acting in support of Palestinian militants Hamas, whose unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
Iran-aligned groups in Yemen, Iraq and Syria have also been drawn into the fighting, and Iran and Israel have themselves attacked each other, heightening fears of an even wider conflict.
