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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made an indirect reference to Syrian operations after Israeli drone strikes killed at least six Syrian soldiers attempting to neutralize surveillance devices near Damascus, while Israeli forces conducted a separate raid on a Syrian military base.
Syrian state media reported late Wednesday that Israeli drones targeted Syrian army units working to destroy surveillance and listening equipment discovered during nighttime field searches near Al-Mani' Mountain in the southern Damascus suburb of Kiswah.
Following reports of the strikes and a separate Israeli military landing at a Syrian base near Damascus, Katz posted on social media platform X: "Our forces are operating day and night on all fronts for Israel's security."
Syrian army units discovered the surveillance devices during Tuesday night operations in the Kiswah region, according to Alikhbariah TV. As Syrian forces worked to neutralize the equipment, Israeli drones struck the area.
The Syrian outlet reported several soldiers killed in the attack, with additional injuries and damaged vehicles. Israeli strikes continued until Wednesday evening to prevent Syrian forces from accessing the area.
Syrian army units managed to destroy part of the surveillance systems and evacuated the bodies of fallen soldiers from the location before withdrawing.
International media reported that Israeli soldiers conducted a landing operation at a Syrian military base near Damascus on Tuesday evening. The operation involved Israeli air strikes on Al-Mani' Mountain in the Kiswah region south of the Syrian capital.
During the incursion, no clashes occurred between Syrian and Israeli forces. Israeli soldiers remained in the area for approximately two hours before departing, according to the reports. The Israeli army also staged several incursions into the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria, despite international calls for halting violations of Syria's sovereignty.
Following the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime in December, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes targeting military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems and air defense installations, according to reports.
Israel has also expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.
The military actions come amid Syria's political transition following Assad's departure. Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Ba'ath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.
A new transitional administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa was formed in January to govern the war-torn country.
The Israeli defense minister's social media statement came as reports of the Syrian operations dominated international headlines, though Katz did not explicitly reference the Syrian strikes in his post about Israeli forces operating "on all fronts."
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