Syria and Israel are engaged in U.S.-mediated talks in an effort to de-escalate their conflict in southern Syria.

Syria said on Monday that Israel had sent 60 soldiers to take control of an area inside the Syrian border around Mount Hermon in an operation that violated its sovereignty and posed a further threat to regional security.

An Israeli military spokesperson said troops carried out a routine operational activity in an area of southern Syria but did not operate in Beit Jinn, an area close to the border with Lebanon and near Mount Hermon.

The incident comes as the two countries engage in U.S.-mediated talks on de-escalating their conflict in southern Syria. Damascus hopes to reach a security arrangement that could eventually pave the way for broader political talks.

Monday’s incid

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