According to local Syrian sources speaking to Al-Mayadeen on Thursday night, three Israeli armored vehicles entered the village of Rakhleh, near the Lebanon border opposite the town of Yakhmour in Rachaya District. This marked the first known raid of its kind in that area.

Airborne landing and prolonged sweep

Simultaneously, three Israeli helicopters flew over the Yafour area in Rif Dimashq province, around 10 kilometers from the capital, and airlifted special forces who landed near a site previously used by the Syrian Republican Guard. According to the sources, the troops conducted a five-hour search operation before withdrawing by helicopter.

In a separate development, Syrian sources reported that another Israeli force entered the village of Sisan in the Yarmouk River Basin area of western Daraa with six military vehicles. A smaller unit of three vehicles allegedly penetrated a former Syrian army position near the village of Ain Dhikr in the same region.

Earlier this week, the IDF spokesperson announced a special operation in southern Syria in which Golan Brigade troops detained several individuals of Palestinian identity. IDF Radio (Galei Tzahal) noted that the operation was made possible by Israel's freedom of movement in southern Syria, stating, “Our forces can reach any village, any house, and arrest any target.”

It’s worth noting that during the Assad regime, the Israeli Air Force frequently targeted Syrian, Iranian, and Hezbollah sites in the Yafour area, located along the Damascus-Beirut highway.

This latest raid likely followed new intelligence regarding the presence of advanced weapon systems that date back to the Assad era.