Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Early on July 4, Israeli special forces landed from helicopters and conducted a lengthy raid near Yafour, a resort town located some ten kilometers to the west of the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to Syrian media.
The special forces, who were transported by at least three helicopters, landed at a base of the Republican Guards, an elite formation of the former Syrian Arab Army, in the outskirts of Yafour. They reportedly operated there for around five hours before withdrawing.
At around the same time, the presence of Israeli special forces was reported at the town of Rakhlah, which is located ten kilometers to the west of Yafour, right on the border with Lebanon. Troops were also sighted in Jandal Castle, ten kilometers to the south of Rakhlah.
All in all, the available information indicates that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a large-scale raid, deploying special forces from air and land in the triangle between Yafour, Rakhlah and Jandal Castle.
Yafour was the main residence of many of the Assad regime’s top officials, including Maher, the brother of former president Bashar. Several key bases, which used to host air defenses among other military equipment, are also located in the area where the IDF was operating.
The large-scale raid came following reports of major advance in talks between Israel and Syria’s Islamists Interim Government, with a peace deal being within reach. Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa is said to have agreed to give the country’s claim to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Since the fall of the Assad regime last December, the IDF has conducted hundreds of operations in Syria, destroying nearly all of the country’s military capabilities in strikes and raids.
Despite the lack of any reaction from Syria and the major concessions its new Islamists rulers are making, Israel does not appear willing to scale down its military operations in the country even a bit as a gesture of good will.
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