IDF seizes arms, detains suspects in Syria raids

Last week, the IDF seized more than 300 weapons and arrested suspects of involvement in arms trading and smuggling.

By JNS

The Israel Defense Forces’ 474th “Golan” Territorial Brigade carried out a series of overnight raids in southern Syria last week to locate weapons and arrest suspects, the military said on Sunday.

During simultaneous searches at several sites in the area, IDF troops discovered arms caches containing RPG missiles, explosive devices, Kalashnikov rifles and large quantities of ammunition, it stated.

All weapons and other combat equipment were seized by the army.

In addition, following intelligence gathered in recent weeks, the soldiers, in cooperation with Human Intelligence Unit 504 field investigators, arrested several suspects for questioning, it said.

Last week, the IDF said that troops of the 810th Mountain Brigade had seized more than 300 weapons and arrested suspects of involvement in arms trading and smuggling during a targeted raid on outposts of the former Syrian regime.

The raid took place Wednesday on the slopes of Mount Hermon as part of ongoing military activities near the border with the Golan Heights since the fall of the Assad regime and the rise of the Islamist regime in Damascus.

“The brigade’s troops continue to work in the area to protect the security of the citizens of the State of Israel and the residents of the Golan Heights in particular,” the Aug. 20 military statement said.

Following the overthrow of the Assad regime in December by Sunni jihadists, the IDF took control of portions of the Syrian side of the Golan.

The measure was aimed at creating a security buffer to protect Israel’s north from hostile elements operating in the power vacuum.

Syria’s government in July claimed a willingness to work with the U.S. to reimplement the 1974 disengagement deal with Israel.

After a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed his intention “to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.”