IDF troops kill 2 gunmen in south Syria buffer zone, military says

Soldiers spot men described as ‘armed terrorists’ approaching border near Hader, kill them and retain their bodies

By Emanuel Fabian

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Today, 3:08 pm

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Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Israeli troops killed two gunmen in southern Syria on Saturday evening, the military said in a statement Sunday morning, marking a relatively rare incident in the area.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, reservists of the Etzioni Brigade opened fire and killed the men, described as “armed terrorists,” inside Israel’s buffer zone.

The pair was identified approaching Israel from an area near the Druze town of Hader, around a kilometer from the Israeli border fence. Soldiers stationed in the area fired on the two, killing them, and their bodies were captured.

Israeli security officials were looking into their identities and affiliations.

On Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would remain inside security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip, “without any time limit.”

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

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

Still, incidents in the Syria buffer zone have become increasingly rare in recent months.

In April, the IDF said it fired on a suspect who approached the Israeli border in southern Syria.

And in March, the Israeli military said it struck Syrian military positions in southern Syria in response to an alleged attack on Druze civilians in the Sweida area.

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