The Israeli army raided a village in southern Syria today to arrest several alleged Hamas members, with Syrian officials saying one person was killed and warning that such raids fuel regional tensions, while locals denied any links to Hamas.
The Israeli military said that during a pre-dawn raid on Beit Jin, suspects suspected of planning attacks on Israel were detained and weapons were found in the area. They were taken to Israel for questioning.
One person was killed and seven were captured during the operation, the Syrian Interior Ministry said, while the father of the killed young man said he had a history of mental illness.
Local television station Syria TV described the attack as carried out by about 100 Israeli soldiers who stormed Beit Jin, near the border with Lebanon, and called out the names of several people who were scheduled for arrest over a loudspeaker.
Since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government in early December, Israeli forces have entered several areas in southern Syria and carried out hundreds of airstrikes across the country, destroying much of the Syrian army's assets.
During a visit to France last month, new Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara said his country was holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent hostilities from spiraling out of control.
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