Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday praised the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, claiming it was a “direct result” of Israel’s attacks on Iran and Hezbollah.
Prime Minister Netanyahu made the remarks in a speech shortly after news broke that Assad had fled Damascus with his family on Saturday night. Islamist rebels seized the city on Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the collapse of Assad’s regime remains “a grave danger.”
“Today is a historic day for the Middle East. The fall of the tyrannical Assad regime in Damascus offers great opportunities, but also grave dangers. “As a direct result of the action,” Netanyahu said, “it set off a chain reaction of all people who want to be free from this tyranny and its oppression.”
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad exiles as Islamic rebels conquer country
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a televised statement in Jerusalem on November 26th. (Israel Government Press Office, via AP)
The Israeli leader also noted that the collapse of the Syrian regime had also prompted the IDF to take action, forcing it to take up positions abandoned by Syrian forces near the border with Israel.
“But it also means we have to act against possible threats, one of which is the collapse of the military separation agreement between Israel and Syria signed in 1974. “It has been in place for 50 years. Last night, the agreement fell apart,” he continued. . “The Syrian army has abandoned its positions. We have ordered the Israeli army to take over these positions in order to prevent hostile forces from entering the immediate vicinity of the Israeli border. This is until a suitable arrangement is found. It is a temporary defensive position.
Opposition fighters remove a government flag from a government building in Salamiah, east of Hama, Syria, Saturday, December 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Al-Sayed)
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Netanyahu concluded by offering a “hand of peace” to the people of Syria, including “Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel.”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaks to The Associated Press at the presidential palace in Damascus on September 21, 2016. (AP/Syrian Presidential Office)
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“Likewise, we send a hand of peace to all the peoples of Syria across the border: Druze, Kurds, Christians and Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel. We will closely monitor future events. If we can establish neighborly and peaceful relations with the emerging powers in Syria, that is our hope, but if not, we will do everything in our power to protect the State of Israel and its borders. We will take measures,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said. Finished.
