Israel says it carried out ground raid into Syria and seized man linked to Iran

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool Photo via AP)

The Israeli military has said it carried out a ground raid into Syria, seizing a Syrian citizen involved in Iranian networks.

It was the first time in the current Middle East conflict that Israel has announced sending troops into Syria.

Syria did not immediately confirm the announcement.

The army did not specify where in Syria the raid took place or when.

It identified the man it seized as Ali Soleiman al-Assi, saying he lives in the southern Syrian region of Saida.

It said he had been under military surveillance for many months and was involved in Iranian initiatives targeting areas of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria.

Body camera footage of the raid released by the army showed soldiers seizing a man in a white tank top inside a building. The man was brought to Israel for interrogation, the military said.