Three Israeli Air Force helicopters landed troops early this morning in the Syrian town of Yafour, located about 10 kilometers from Damascus, according to the Al Mayadeen television channel.
The report says Israeli special forces carried out a sweep of a former Republican Guard base in the area. The operation reportedly lasted around five hours, after which the Israeli troops withdrew from Syrian territory by helicopter.
According to Al Mayadeen, Israeli army mechanized patrols were also spotted in the morning in the village of Rakhlah, near the Lebanese–Syrian border west of Damascus. Patrols were additionally seen in the Ain Deker and Saysoun areas along the Yarmouk River in Syria’s southern Daraa province, where a clearing operation had taken place on July 2. During that operation, hiding militants and arms caches were reportedly uncovered. A group of detainees was taken back into Israeli territory.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the “complete demilitarization” of Syria’s southern regions and stated: “We will not allow the presence of any armed groups there.”
On June 25, the transitional president of Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, said the Syrian authorities were working to stop Israel’s repeated incursions in Daraa and Quneitra provinces. He noted that Damascus is seeking to end the Israeli attacks through indirect talks via international mediators.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS