Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian chemical weapons depot so ‘they will not fall into the hands of extremists’ after the collapse of Assad’s regime

Israel’s Foreign Minister said Israeli warplanes hit suspected chemical weapons facilities in Syria.

Gideo Sa’ar said they attacked the sites so they would not fall into the “hands of extremists.”

During a media briefing, Sa’ar said Israel was acting as a precaution and attacking “strategic weapon systems.” A senior Israeli official said the airstrikes will continue in the coming days, according to The Times of Israel.

Israeli planes bombed at least three major Syrian army air bases hosting dozens of helicopters and fighter jets near Damascus.

Qamishli air base in northeast Syria, Shinshar base in Homs and Aqaba airport southwest of the capital were all hit.

Israel also launched attacks on a research center on the outskirts and an electronic warfare center near the Sayeda Zainab area.

Israel told the United Nations it is involved in “limited” actions in Syria following the fall of al-Assad’s regime.

Israeli forces took up positions in a buffer zone in Syria near the occupied Golan Heights to create a ‘buffer zone’. A new wave of Israeli airstrikes hit military buildings in the country yesterday.

Gideo Sa’ar said they attacked the sites so they would not fall into the “hands of extremists.”

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone on the Golan Heights

Iran has condemned Israel’s “repeated violations of Syrian infrastructure” and seizure of Syrian land.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel for almost 60 years, would forever remain part of Israel.

His comments came as criticism grew following Israel’s takeover of a buffer zone along the border with Syria.

At a press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu thanked US President-elect Donald Trump for recognizing Israel’s 1981 annexation of the territory during his first term and said “the Golan will forever be part of the State of Israel.”

Israel captured most of the mountain plateau from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and has occupied it ever since, repelling a Syrian attempt at recapture in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

Netanyahu said Israeli control of the higher ground “ensures our security and sovereignty.”

Last weekend he ordered troops to move into a UN-guarded buffer zone – east of the Israeli-annexed Golan – after Islamist-led rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

The United Nations and Israel’s neighbors denounced the move, with a U.N. spokesman saying on Monday that Israel’s actions were “a violation” of the 1974 withdrawal agreement between Israel and Syria.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the seizure of the buffer zone is a confirmation of “Israel’s continued violation of the rules of international law, and its determination to undermine Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.” sabotage.’

People walk next to closed shops during curfew after Syrian rebels announced they have ousted Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in Damascus

People warm themselves by the fire as they gather at Sednaya Prison in Damascus in search of loved ones

An opposition fighter steps on a broken bust of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad

Netanyahu said on Sunday that the collapse of the Assad government and the Syrian army abandoning its posts had invalidated the deal.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday that the takeover of the buffer zone was “a limited and temporary step that we took for security reasons.”

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed his understanding of Israel’s actions, which, he said, “are not permanent” and “ultimately what we want to see is lasting stability between Israel and Syria, and that means supporting all parties who uphold the 1974 Withdrawal Agreement. .’

Israel’s incursion into Syria beyond the Golan Heights after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad should only be “temporary,” the United States said on Monday, after the United Nations said Israel is violating a 1974 agreement.

“This is a temporary action they took in response to actions by the Syrian army to withdraw from that area. Ultimately, what we want to see is full compliance with that agreement, and we will see that Israel does that,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Asked whether the United States was calling on its ally to withdraw, Miller said the agreement reached after the 1973 Yom Kippur War “includes Israel’s withdrawal to its previous position.”

He declined to set a timetable, pointing to the rapidly changing situation on the ground in Syria.

“Israel has said these actions are temporary to defend its borders. These are not permanent actions, and ultimately what we want to see is lasting stability between Israel and Syria, and that means supporting all parties who uphold the 1974 Withdrawal Agreement,” Miller said.