The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sent paratroopers to Syria on Sunday to carry out “defensive operations” following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The IDF said the deployment was aimed at “actively ensuring the defense of the Golan” amid the volatile situation in Syria. Footage and images show paratroopers and heavily armored tanks deployed in the buffer zone. The move comes as both the United States and Israel have attacked multiple targets in Syria since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said early Monday that Israel had also carried out an attack on a suspected chemical weapons facility in Syria. Assad is infamous for using chemical weapons against his country's civilians during former President Barack Obama's tenure. The United States and Israel are taking steps to prevent these weapons from falling into the hands of the Islamic rebels currently controlling Syria.
“Our only concern is the safety of Israel and its people,” Saar said on Monday. “That is why we attacked strategic weapons systems, such as remaining chemical weapons and long-range missiles and rockets, to prevent them from falling into the hands of extremists.”
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Israeli Defense Force paratroopers were sent to Syria on Sunday as Syrian rebels oust former President Bashar al-Assad. (IDF)
While U.S. and Israeli leaders have praised the overthrow of Assad, they have also expressed concern about who will lead the country in the future. The main rebel group active is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (translated as Levantine Liberation Organization). This organization is a terrorist group with ties to both ISIS and al-Qaeda.
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prime minister of israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He praised the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in a statement on Sunday, and went on to announce the movement of troops on Sunday to “take action against possible threats.”
“One of them is the collapse of the 1974 U.S. military separation agreement between Israel and Syria, which has stood for 50 years. Last night, it collapsed,” Netanyahu said. “Syrian forces have abandoned their positions. We have ordered Israeli forces to take over these positions in order to prevent hostile forces from entering the immediate vicinity of Israel's borders. This is pending until a suitable arrangement is found. It is a temporary defensive position.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a televised statement in Jerusalem on November 26th. (Israel Government Press Office, via AP)
Netanyahu concluded by offering a “hand of peace” to the people of Syria, including “Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel.”
President Biden echoed Prime Minister Netanyahu's cautious optimism in his statement on the fall of the Assad regime.
“Finally, the Assad regime has fallen. The fall of this regime is an act of fundamental justice. This is a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering Syrian people to build a better future for their homeland. . It's also a moment of risk and uncertainty,” Biden said.
“New opportunities are opening up for the Syrian people and the entire region,” he added.
President Biden praised the collapse of Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad's regime, but urged caution. (AP)
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President Assad fled Damascus with his wife and three children this weekend just before the country fell to rebels. He was then granted asylum in Moscow.
