Syrian media reported Wednesday that four Israeli helicopters landed in Sweida province in southern Syria, home to a dominant Druze minority. Earlier, Emirati reports suggested that the province was on its way to establishing a representative council as part of a push for Druze autonomy.
At the same time, Syrian outlets said the Israeli Air Force carried out 15 strikes on Syrian Defense Ministry military sites in the al-Kiswah area, in Damascus province. According to those reports, one of the targets was a Syrian army headquarters.
A military source in the Syrian regime told the Qatari channel Al Jazeera that the IDF operated for more than two hours in a landing zone near al-Kiswah, south of Damascus. According to the source, Israeli forces deployed dozens of soldiers and search equipment.
The Syrian source claimed there were no exchanges of fire between the Israeli troops involved in the landing and Assad regime forces. He added that four Israeli helicopters took part in the operation in the al-Kiswah area. At this stage, the report has not been confirmed by Israel.
On Tuesday night, Syrian media also reported an Israeli drone strike in the Damascus region, in which six Syrian soldiers were killed in the suburbs of the capital. This came in addition to several other military operations in Syria attributed to Israel.
Meanwhile, US-mediated talks between Israel and Syria have been taking place in recent weeks in an effort to reduce tensions in southern Syria.
