Israeli military says it has arrested Hamas members in Syria

Israeli troops crossed into southwestern Syria in the early hours of Thursday and arrested dozens of people, whom the Israeli military said were members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Reuters reported.

The arrests in the town of Beit Jinn, about 50 kilometers southwest of the Syrian capital, Damascus, are part of a revival of Israeli military operations in southern Syria, after several relatively quiet weeks.

The Israeli military announced that the operation in Beit Jinn was "based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks" and led to the "arrest of dozens of Hamas terrorists" who were planning "multiple terrorist attacks" against Israeli civilians and military troops in Syria.

Based on the army's announcement, it is said that weapons and ammunition were also confiscated, while the detainees were sent to Israel for questioning.

There has been no comment yet from Hamas.

On the other hand, a spokesman for the Syrian Interior Ministry told the Reuters news agency that seven people were arrested in Beit Jinn, but denied that they were members of Hamas.

According to the Syrian spokesman, one person was killed in the shooting.

In the first months of Syria's new administration, Israel sent troops into southern Syria and carried out extensive attacks - but then began direct talks with Syrian officials to prevent conflict.

However, tensions rose again in early June, after several shells were fired from Syria towards Israel.

The Israeli military responded with its first attacks in nearly a month. On June 8, Israel carried out an attack on the outskirts of Beit Jinn, claiming that Hamas members were there.