Israel's prime minister on Sunday claimed credit for the events that led to the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and used the moment to threaten the security of the Jewish state by bombing terrorist sites in Damascus. Reinforced.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a video statement that the fall of Assad's regime to rebels was “a direct result of our armed action against Iran's Hezbollah, Assad's main supporter.”
“It set off a chain reaction of all people who want to be free from this tyranny,” the Israeli prime minister said.
He added that Israeli forces quickly captured Syrian positions on the outskirts of Damascus to “prevent hostile forces from entering the immediate vicinity of Israel's borders.”
Israel also bombed facilities within the capital itself, including a security complex and a government research center that it said Iran had previously used to develop weapons.
The Israel Defense Forces said it was concerned that stockpiles of chemical weapons could fall into the hands of rebel groups and be used against Israel.
Israel has carried out attacks on Iranian-linked targets in Syria for years, but a tenuous peace deal with the Assad family dictatorship was reached in 1974 after the end of the Yom Kippur War. As a result, war between the two countries was avoided.
With the fall of the Assad regime, the treaty officially ceased to exist, Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
“This agreement stood for 50 years. Last night it fell apart,” the Prime Minister said.
Israel's new attacks over the weekend come after Islamic rebels captured Damascus after a two-week offensive.
Israeli targets also included seven strongholds in the southwest of the county, including an air base that the Israel Defense Forces said had been abandoned by the Syrian army. Reuters reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Assad's ouster is a “historic day” that presents “huge opportunities.”
