The IDF released body-camera footage Friday from a rare face-to-face gun battle in southern Syria, where troops from the 55th Brigade were fired on while arresting members of al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, a Sunni terrorist group Israel identifies as part of the wider Muslim Brotherhood network.
The cross-border gun battle comes as the Trump administration moves to target Brotherhood affiliates and tensions spike between Netanyahu and Syria's interim president.
The overnight operation took place in the Beit Jann area, roughly 10 kilometers inside Syria, under the 210th Division. According to the IDF, troops entered the area to detain suspects involved in planting IEDs and planning future attacks against Israel, including potential rocket fire. Two suspects were arrested before an exchange of fire erupted.
Six IDF soldiers were wounded, including three in serious condition. Several terrorists were killed, the IDF said, and the suspects were transferred to Israel for interrogation.
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Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, founded as the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, has cooperated with Hamas and Hezbollah, maintaining infrastructure in southern Lebanon and along the Syria-Lebanon border. The IDF says it has struck the organization's sites in Syria and Lebanon repeatedly during the current war.
Channel 12 political correspondent Amit Segal noted Friday that the incident marks the first time since December 2024 - when Israeli forces took control of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon - that Israeli troops were wounded in a Syrian firefight.
Segal wrote: "Could Syria become the IDF's new Lebanon? … With six soldiers wounded overnight, the big question is whether this is a one-off event, or if it signals the beginning of a long, uncomfortable Israeli presence in Syria."
Tensions between Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have intensified since Sharaa's unprecedented visit to Washington earlier this month. Sharaa met President Donald Trump at the White House for discussions on sanctions relief and counterterrorism coordination, making him the first Syrian leader to visit Washington since the Syrian war began.
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Netanyahu publicly criticized the visit the same day, saying Sharaa "returned inflated with a sense of international legitimacy," and warning that any U.S.-Syria discussions must "not come at Israel's expense."
Additional reporting in the Jerusalem Post and Channel 12 noted that security arrangements affecting Israel's northern front were discussed in broad terms between U.S. and Syrian officials, though no agreements were reached, and Washington stressed that consultations with Israel were ongoing.
Friday's clash came the same week the Trump administration launched a sweeping effort to designate Muslim Brotherhood affiliates as terrorist organizations. The White House directive instructs federal agencies to evaluate and sanction Brotherhood entities in countries including Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, citing global financial, political and operational ties among affiliates.
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The White House statement said the Brotherhood "fuels terrorism and destabilization campaigns against U.S. interests and allies."
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, praised the move on his podcast Verdict, telling co-host Ben Ferguson that the designation marks the culmination of a decade of legislative efforts. Cruz said "This is literally 10 years of hard work, and it will make America safer because the Muslim Brotherhood is funding terrorists that want to murder you and want to murder me."
He noted that many U.S. allies in the Middle East - including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE - have already outlawed the organization, telling listeners: "They really want the United States to do what President Trump did this week."
As Washington intensifies pressure on Brotherhood-linked movements, Israel is increasingly confronting Brotherhood-affiliated armed groups across the northern arena - from Hamas in Gaza to al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya in Syria and Lebanon.
With Beit Jann emerging as a focal point for cross-border operations, and American policy tightening, analysts say the regional confrontations involving Brotherhood-connected groups may be entering a new phase.
