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Asharq Al-Awsat Reveals Details of Israeli Attempts to Free Hostages

Pictures of Israeli hostages on a wall in Tel Aviv (AFP)
Pictures of Israeli hostages on a wall in Tel Aviv (AFP)
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Asharq Al-Awsat Reveals Details of Israeli Attempts to Free Hostages

Pictures of Israeli hostages on a wall in Tel Aviv (AFP)
Pictures of Israeli hostages on a wall in Tel Aviv (AFP)

Israel has deployed “Arabist” special forces units to attack suspected sites housing alive hostages, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Palestinian armed factions sources revealed details about the operations of Israeli special forces to release detainees in the Gaza Strip, whether dead or alive.

The sources spoke about three operations, one of which resulted in freeing a female captive, while another failed. In one of the operations, the forces were able to extract the bodies of killed Israelis.

They explained that the successful operation led to the release of soldier Ori Megidish on October 27, the night of the expanded ground operation in the Strip. They described it as quick and accurate amid heavy air cover, noting that military forces were on alert near the northwestern border of the enclave.

- Freeing Megidish

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the operation took place inside a house on Hamid Street in the al-Shati Camp, west of Gaza City, when a special unit infiltrated the area, using an ambulance with two armed members of the force inside.

Field investigations conducted by Hamas revealed that the force infiltrated from the northwestern area of the Strip near al-Atatra until reaching the camp.

Investigations revealed that the Israeli perpetrators were fluent in Arabic and attacked the place with silenced firearms. They immediately opened fire on those inside the house, then introduced themselves to the captive and took her to the northwestern border with Beit Lahia.

The sources added that a vehicle bearing a Palestinian registration plate accompanied the force in case of emergency.

Warplanes flew intensely and led an air cover operation by launching mock raids. They attacked the vicinity of the al-Rimal neighborhood and other nearby areas.

Two hours after the operation, warplanes bombed the house, and according to the sources, the captive was with a small armed group, and she was transferred to the house in preparation to hand her over to al-Qassam Brigades.

However, Israeli intelligence was able to monitor these movements and succeeded in reaching her a few hours before transferring her to another safe house.

At the time, al-Qassam Brigades denied, through an audio recording of its spokesman, Israel’s story about the liberation of the female soldier, stressing that even if the operation had happened, she might have been detained by other parties.

- Failed Operation

On December 08, the Israeli forces launched a failed operation in the Nuseirat camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip.

Several members of the special unit were killed and injured during the operation, including the captured soldier. The incident occurred in a small house adjacent to a school in the camp, where there were thousands of displaced people.

According to the sources, the force was able to infiltrate through two civilian vehicles with a Palestinian registration plate, and they arrived at the house before al-Qassam members clashed with them.

The clashes escalated for more than 40 minutes, and the force entered the targeted location attempting to free the soldier. The Israeli army then involved warplanes, bombing the area’s surroundings to ensure the special force was not besieged by any additional Palestinian fighters.

The unit then withdrew from the place, amidst violent gunfire, towards the coastal area of Nuseirat.

The al-Qassam Brigades said that its troops thwarted an Israeli attempt to release a captive and clashed with it, which led to the killing and wounding of the soldiers.

The military aircraft intervened and raided the place to cover their withdrawal.

- Captive Gets Killed

Al-Qassam said it had inflicted military casualties upon the occupation troops engaged in the rescue operation, adding that the Israeli captive named Saar Baruch, holding the card number 207775032, was killed in the process.

Israel admitted that two soldiers were seriously injured, and the mission to rescue the captured soldier had failed.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that many Israeli raids failed after it became clear that there were no captives, and some of them were unable to reach the targeted sites.

Israel is trying to reach its prisoners and any possible bodies in Gaza instead of making exchange deals.

The sources said that the Israeli army succeeded in finding some bodies by exhuming graves and examining them. They confirmed that the army exhumed bodies from public cemeteries and temporary graves dug during the war in some squares.

The Palestinian factions numbered the Israeli bodies to identify and hand them over upon completion of any exchange deal.

The sources noted that the army exhumed several bodies from the graves to confirm their authenticity, including the bodies of Palestinians, adding that the procedure continues to this day.

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Damascus’ Mazzeh 86 Neighborhood, Witness of The Two-Assad Era

Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent stand near the wreckage of a car after what the Syrian state television said was a "guided missile attack" on the car in the Mazzeh area of Damascus, Syria October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi
Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent stand near the wreckage of a car after what the Syrian state television said was a "guided missile attack" on the car in the Mazzeh area of Damascus, Syria October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi
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Damascus’ Mazzeh 86 Neighborhood, Witness of The Two-Assad Era

Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent stand near the wreckage of a car after what the Syrian state television said was a "guided missile attack" on the car in the Mazzeh area of Damascus, Syria October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi
Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent stand near the wreckage of a car after what the Syrian state television said was a "guided missile attack" on the car in the Mazzeh area of Damascus, Syria October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi

In the Mazzeh 86 neighborhood, west of the Syrian capital Damascus, the names of many shops, grocery stores, and public squares still serve as a reminder of the era of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his late father, Hafez al-Assad.

This is evident in landmarks like the “Al-Hafez Restaurant,” one of the prominent features of this area. Squares such as “Al-Areen,” “Officers,” and “Bride of the Mountain” evoke memories of the buildings surrounding them, which once housed influential officials and high-ranking officers in intelligence and security agencies. These individuals instilled fear in Syrians for five decades until their historic escape on the night of the regime’s collapse last month.

In this neighborhood, the effects of Israeli bombing are clearly visible, as it was targeted multiple times. Meanwhile, its narrow streets and alleys were strewn with military uniforms abandoned by leaders who fled before military operations arrived and liberated the area from their grip on December 8 of last year.

Here, stark contradictions come to light during a tour by Asharq Al-Awsat in a district that, until recently, was largely loyal to the former president. Muaz, a 42-year-old resident of the area, recounts how most officers and security personnel shed their military uniforms and discarded them in the streets on the night of Assad’s escape.

He said: “Many of them brought down their weapons and military ranks in the streets and fled to their hometowns along the Syrian coast.”

Administratively part of Damascus, Mazzeh 86 consists of concrete blocks randomly built between the Mazzeh Western Villas area, the Mazzeh Highway, and the well-known Sheikh Saad commercial district. Its ownership originally belonged to the residents of the Mazzeh area in Damascus. The region was once agricultural land and rocky mountain terrain. The peaks extending toward Mount Qasioun were previously seized by the Ministry of Defense, which instructed security and army personnel to build homes there without requiring property ownership documents.

Suleiman, a 30-year-old shop owner, who sells white meat and chicken, hails from the city of Jableh in the coastal province of Latakia. His father moved to this neighborhood in the 1970s to work as an army assistant.

Suleiman says he hears the sound of gunfire every evening, while General Security patrols roam the streets “searching for remnants of the former regime and wanted individuals who refuse to surrender their weapons. We fear reprisals and just want to live in peace.”

He mentioned that prices before December 8 were exorbitant and beyond the purchasing power of Syrians, with the price of a kilogram of chicken exceeding 60,000 Syrian pounds and a carton of eggs reaching 75,000.

“A single egg was sold for 2,500 pounds, which is far beyond the purchasing power of any employee in the public or private sector,” due to low salaries and the deteriorating living conditions across the country,” Suleiman added.

On the sides of the roads, pictures of the fugitive president and his father, Hafez al-Assad, were torn down, while military vehicles were parked, awaiting instructions.

Maram, 46, who previously worked as a civilian employee in the Ministry of Defense, says she is waiting for the resolution of employment statuses for workers in army institutions. She stated: “So far, there are no instructions regarding our situation. The army forces and security personnel have been given the opportunity for settlement, but there is no talk about us.”

The neighborhood, in its current form, dates back to the 1980s when Rifaat al-Assad, the younger brother of former President Hafez al-Assad, was allowed to construct the “Defense Palace,” which was referred to as “Brigade 86.” Its location is the same area now known as Mazzeh Jabal 86.

The area is divided into two parts: Mazzeh Madrasa (School) and Mazzeh Khazan (Tank). The first takes its name from the first school built and opened in the area, while the second is named after the water tank that supplies the entire Mazzeh region.

Two sources from the Mazzeh Municipality and the Mukhtar’s office estimate the neighborhood’s current population at approximately 200,000, down from over 300,000 before Assad’s fall. Most residents originate from Syria’s coastal regions, followed by those from interior provinces like Homs and Hama. There was also a portion of Kurds who had moved from the Jazira region in northeastern Syria to live there, but most returned to their areas due to the security grip and after the “Crisis Cell” bombing that killed senior security officials in mid-2012.

Along the main street connecting Al-Huda Square to Al-Sahla Pharmacy, torn images of President Hafez al-Assad are visible for the first time in this area in five decades. On balconies and walls, traces of Bashar al-Assad’s posters remain, bearing witness to his 24-year era.