IDF raid in Syria nabs arms smugglers and over 300 weapons, military says

Several suspected weapons dealers were detained during a raid in southern Syria yesterday, the military says.

The IDF says troops of the 810th “Mountains” Regional Brigade raided several former posts belonging to the commando forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime in the Mount Hermon area.

“As part of the activity, the troops arrested and interrogated a number of suspects who were involved in smuggling and trading weapons from Syria to Lebanon,” the IDF says, adding that it captured several weapons belonging to the dealers.

During the raid at the commando posts, the IDF says it seized over 300 weapons.

Yesterday, the IDF said four soldiers were lightly injured by a blast, apparently caused by an old Syrian grenade, during the operation.

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

Troops have been operating in areas up to around 15 kilometers (9 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.