Israel Defense Forces troops operating near the Syrian border have located and destroyed the central military headquarters of the former Syrian regime in the Mount Hermon region, the IDF announced on Monday.
During the operation, Israeli forces uncovered bunkers and an extensive weapons cache, including artillery, mortars, rocket launchers, explosives and landmines. All materials were either seized or destroyed.
The command post had served as a key strategic hub for Syrian military units once responsible for the Hermon front during the Assad regime’s pre-civil war period.
“This is part of our ongoing effort to dismantle hostile infrastructure in Syria and secure the safety of Israeli civilians, particularly in the Golan Heights,” the IDF said.
The latest operation follows a broader escalation in Israeli military activity across Syria, including a wave of airstrikes over the weekend targeting air defense systems and regime assets near Damascus, Hama, and Daraa. According to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the IDF carried out over 20 strikes—the most intense Israeli aerial assault in Syria so far this year.
Israeli officials have linked the increased military activity to rising threats against Syria’s Druze minority. In recent weeks, violent sectarian clashes have left more than 100 dead, prompting Israel to bolster its presence along the border and warn Damascus against further targeting of Druze villages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in coordination with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, issued a stern warning last week: “We will not allow regime forces to move south of Damascus or pose any danger to the Druze community.”
The military also confirmed the evacuation of five wounded Syrian Druze civilians to Ziv Medical Center in northern Israel for treatment.
The IDF said it remains on high alert, continuing to monitor developments in southern Syria, and is prepared to respond to attempted infiltrations or attacks near Druze-populated areas.
The flare-up was triggered by the circulation of a supposed audio recording of a Druze sheikh insulting Islam, which sparked retaliatory killings and mass unrest in Syrian Druze villages. In response, protests erupted across Israel’s Druze community, with spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif calling on Jerusalem and the international community to intervene.
“The eyes and hearts of the Druze community are turned toward the harm being done,” Tarif wrote last week, urging swift action to prevent mass slaughter.
The U.S. State Department also condemned the sectarian violence, calling it “reprehensible and unacceptable,” and demanded that interim authorities ensure the protection of civilians.
