Israel's army says its troops thwarted a "terror squad" that was attempting to plant explosive devices near the disputed border between Syria and Israel on Sunday. 
  
A military spokesperson said in a statement that the incident took place late Sunday night near the Alpha Line between Syria and Israel in the southern Golan Heights. 

"Soldiers thwarted an attempt to place improvised explosive devices (IEDs)," the spokesperson said.  
  
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spotted a "terror squad" of four fighters placing explosive devices adjacent to the security fence near an IDF post.  
  
In response, troops and an aircraft fired simultaneously at the group. "A hit was identified," the statement read. 

The spokesperson did not say whether the fighters opened fire at the Israeli forces but said no injuries were reported among the Israeli forces. 

"The Northern Command maintains elevated readiness for various scenarios," the army said in the statement. "The IDF holds the Syrian regime responsible for all events on Syrian soil and will not tolerate any violation of Israeli sovereignty." 

There was no immediate comment from Syria. 
  
Tensions along Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria have been on the rise since a fighter with Hezbollah was killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria in July. 
  
Last Monday, Israel said it thwarted an infiltration attempt by Hezbollah. However, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi'ite group denied such an attempt took place. 

The Golan Heights is a rocky plateau in southwestern Syria that was seized by Israel during its Six-Day War against Arab nations in 1967. Israel unilaterally annexed the region in 1981 – a move not recognized internationally. But U.S. President Donald Trump announced in March, 2019 that the United States recognizes "Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights."

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)