Israel claims to have arrested cells affiliated with the Iranian "Quds Force" in Syria.

The Israeli army claimed on Friday that it had arrested cells affiliated with the Iranian Quds Force in Syrian territory over the past weeks and months.

It stated in a statement: "As part of a series of special operations carried out on Syrian territory in recent weeks, elements affiliated with the Iranian Quds Force were captured, and the elements were transferred for investigation (into Israel)."

The army alleged that "these cells were directed by Unit 840 of the Quds Force to carry out operations against the State of Israel."

It mentioned that in March and April of last year, "two field operatives affiliated with Unit 840 were arrested on Syrian territory, namely Zaidan Al-Tawil and Muhammad Al-Karyan."

It also claimed that "in the course of the investigations with the arrested individuals, it became clear that some of them did not know who they were working for, and their recruitment to work with Unit 840 often occurred without revealing the true motives of the unit, and through financial bribery."

In this context, it added that "Unit 840 is responsible for developing and directing operations against Israelis both domestically and abroad."

As of 8:30 (UTC), there had been no comment from Damascus or Tehran regarding the occupation's claims, which contradict the withdrawal of all Iranian military formations from Syria prior to the flight of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad and the fall of his regime in late 2024.

Since that date, Israel has continued its violations against Syrian sovereignty, announcing the collapse of the separation of forces agreement signed with Damascus in 1974, while the latter confirmed its commitment to the agreement and called for an end to Tel Aviv's violations.

The new Syrian administration, established since December 8, 2024, has not posed any threat to Tel Aviv; nevertheless, the Israeli army has repeatedly infiltrated Syria and conducted airstrikes that killed civilians and destroyed military sites, military vehicles, and weapons and ammunition belonging to the Syrian army.

Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967 and exploited the events surrounding the overthrow of the Assad regime in late 2024 to expand its occupation.