IDF says it nabbed suspected ISIS jihadist in southern Syria operation

Raid this week took place in village of al-Rafid, located in UN-patrolled buffer zone, and suspect was brought to Israel for interrogation

The Israel Defense Forces captured a suspected Islamic State jihadist in an overnight raid earlier this week in southern Syria, the military said in a Saturday statement.

The announcement came after the United States and Jordan conducted airstrikes overnight Friday against Islamic State targets in Syria, in response to a December 13 attack in the Syrian desert that killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter.

The US-led strikes killed at least five ISIS operatives, including the leader of a drone cell, according to Syrian and monitoring sources.

The Israeli military said that the suspected ISIS operative was detained in the village of al-Rafid, which is located within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border that the IDF captured last year.

The operation was carried out by troops of the 52nd Armored Battalion and field interrogators of the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504 — which specializes in human intelligence — under the command of the 474th “Golan” Regional Brigade.

The alleged ISIS member was brought to Israel for further interrogation, the IDF said.

The military added that it captured several weapons during the raid.

The IDF has been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, mostly within the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries.

Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers (some nine miles) deep into Syria, aiming to capture weapons that Israel says could pose a threat to the country if they fall into the hands of “hostile forces.”

Last month, six Israeli soldiers were wounded, including three seriously, after coming under fire by gunmen during an arrest operation in southern Syria.