Israeli forces engaged in combat overnight in the southern Syrian town of Tasil, where several gunmen opened fire on IDF troops conducting an operation to seize weapons and dismantle terrorist infrastructure. The 474th Golan Regional Brigade responded with ground and aerial fire, successfully neutralizing the attackers, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Thursday.
The IDF confirmed that no soldiers were injured, and the mission was completed as planned. Tasil, located approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Israel’s border, falls outside the demilitarized buffer zone established along the Israel-Syria border, which Israeli forces entered last December following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime to Islamist-led rebels.
The Syrian provincial government in Daraa reported that Israeli bombardments killed nine civilians and wounded several others in Nawa, roughly 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from Tasil. However, the exact details of the reported casualties remain unclear.
Following the collapse of Assad’s rule, Israel has maintained a policy of targeting weapons in Syria that could be seized by hostile militant groups. On Wednesday, the IDF launched strikes on the Hama military airport and the T-4 airbase in Syria, actions Damascus condemned as violations of international law and Syrian sovereignty.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning to Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, stating that any threats emerging from Syria would result in severe consequences. “Israel will not allow Syria to become a threat to its security,” Katz declared at a Defense Ministry event ahead of Passover.
Israel remains deeply skeptical of Sharaa’s leadership, citing his extremist background linked to al-Qaeda. The IDF has labeled its buffer zone deployment as a defensive and temporary measure. However, Katz has indicated that Israeli troops will remain stationed at nine military outposts in the area for the foreseeable future.
Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-several-gunmen-eliminated-after-firing-on-troops-in-southern-syria/