Assad's fall a direct result of Israel's strikes on Iran and Hezbollah, Netanyahu says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood along the Syrian border with Israel on Sunday afternoon, hailing the end of Syria's Bashar al-Assad's 14-year rule and claiming Israel's "blows inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah" had a direct impact on the Syrian revolution.

On a visit to the area near the border with Syria, the prime minister said he had ordered Israeli forces to seize areas in the buffer zone to ensure Israel's security and said: "We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border."

This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers. We send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the… pic.twitter.com/yJZE3AZZJn

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 8, 2024

Following blows to Assad and supporters Iran and Hezbollah, Netanyahu called the fall of the Assad regime a "historic day in the Middle East," noting another key player in Iran's web cutting off.

"The Assad regime is a central link in Iran's axis of evil - this regime has fallen. This is a direct result of the blows we inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, the main supporters of the Assad regime. This has created a chain reaction throughout the Middle East of all those who want to be free from this oppressive and tyrannical regime," Netanyahu said. 

Netanyahu spoke of the toppling effect in the region as well as new opportunities for Israel.

"This has created a chain reaction throughout the Middle East of all those who want to be free from this oppressive and tyrannical regime," he stated, adding, "But it is also not without risks. First and foremost, we are working to protect our border. This area has been controlled for nearly 50 years by a buffer zone agreed upon in 1974, the Separation of Forces Agreement. This agreement collapsed."

Katz orders troops to buffer zone

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced a decision to deploy the IDF to the UN-monitored buffer zone with Syria, on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. According to Katz, this action was taken to ensure the protection of Israeli communities in the Golan Heights. Israeli media cited an unverified report that this is the first Israeli military presence in the area since the Yom Kippur War.

After Assad's ouster, Katz made televised remarks on the decision to send troops into the buffer zone: "We came here to clearly state that we are determined to provide security to the communities of the Golan Heights. [The Prime Minister and I], with the approval of the Cabinet, have moved to seize the buffer zone and control points to ensure protection for all Israeli communities in the Golan Heights, Jewish and Druze, so that they are not exposed to threats from the other side.

"We are determined not to allow a return to the situation of October 6 - neither in the Golan Heights nor anywhere else."

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar wrote in a post on X that he spoke with Czech Foreign Minister about the ongoing and growing situation in Syria. "I emphasized the need to ensure the safety of the Kurdish minority in Syria, who are still facing attacks," he wrote.

I spoke today with my friend @JanLipavsky, the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs. We discussed the events and the situation in Syria. I emphasized the need to ensure the safety of the Kurdish minority in Syria, who are still facing attacks. The Kurds fought bravely against ISIS…

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) December 8, 2024

Reuters contributed to this report.