**Israeli Forces Conduct Ground Raid in Syria, Escalates Operations in Lebanon and Gaza**

The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it executed a ground raid in Syria, capturing a Syrian national linked to Iranian networks. This represents the first publicized instance of Israeli troops operating within Syrian territory in the current conflict. While Syria has yet to confirm the incident, the operation underscores heightened military activity across the region.

Israeli forces identified the captured individual as Ali Soleiman al-Assi, who resides in Saida, a region in southern Syria. The military noted that al-Assi had been under surveillance for several months due to his involvement in Iranian activities targeting areas in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the Syrian border. Although the exact timing and location of the raid were not disclosed, the release of body camera footage showed soldiers apprehending a man in a white tank top and taking him to Israel for further interrogation.

Simultaneously, Israel has intensified its campaign in Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah. Over the past six weeks, it has launched a barrage of bombardments and ground invasions along the shared border to weaken the militant group. The Israeli military recently conducted a naval raid in a northern Lebanese town, capturing a man identified as a senior Hezbollah operative.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the Lebanon border on Sunday, emphasized efforts to prevent Hezbollah from resupplying through Iranian weapon transfers via Syria. The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 2,500 fatalities in Lebanon over the past year, with Hezbollah attacks killing 69 Israelis.

In Gaza, Israeli operations also continue unabated. An airstrike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed at least eight Palestinians, including four children and a woman, as per the Gaza Health Ministry. The strike occurred as individuals gathered outside, with most casualties reported by the city's Nasser Hospital. On Saturday, reports surfaced of an Israeli drone strike hitting a clinic in northern Gaza where children were being vaccinated for polio, injuring six people, including four children. The Israeli military has denied these allegations.

The conflict has severely disrupted a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, aimed at administering a second dose of the vaccine to children in the north. The campaign was affected by airstrikes, evacuation orders, and lack of humanitarian pauses. The situation is particularly critical given that 15,000 children under the age of 10 remain in inaccessible northern towns.

The war, sparked by a Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and abducted 250 others, has led to a substantial humanitarian crisis. Gaza health authorities report over 43,000 Palestinians have been killed, including many women and children. As skirmishes and military operations persist, the region remains engulfed in violence and uncertainty.