Israel confirmed, Monday, December 9, that it had carried out strikes in Syria to prevent chemical and strategic weapons from falling into the hands of the radical Islamist rebels who overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad. During a press conference in Jerusalem, relayed Le FigaroGideon Saar, Israeli Foreign Minister, justified these actions by highlighting the risks posed by the new leadership in Damascus, which he describes as “ideology extreme of radical Islam “. These strikes were aimed at strategic weapons systems such as remnants of chemical weapons or long-range missiles and rockets, so that they do not fall into the hands of extremists “, he said.
Israel also ordered its army to strengthen its presence in the buffer zone near the Golan, annexed by the Jewish state, to protect its national security. “ Our expectations (about the new Syrian leaders, editor’s note) are realistic and we will observe the measures they take and their actions. The only thing we care about is the security of Israel and its citizens ,” recalled Gideon Saar.
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The shot of a clan
The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad marks a historic turning point after more than fifty years of domination by his clan in Syria. On Sunday, the Syrian president fled to Moscow with his family after the spectacular advance of a coalition of Islamist rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In ten days, rebel forces conquered major strategic cities, including Aleppo, Hama and Homs, before entering Damascus, causing the rapid collapse of government forces.
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This offensive, described as the most significant since the start of the civil war in 2011, cost the lives of more than 910 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
