Israel bombies Syria and conquered areas under Netanyahu

Israel bombies Syria and conquered areas under Netanyahu

The collapse of the Assad regime has led to a tough military reaction of Israel. For the first time in 50 years, Israel has carried out air strikes on military goals in Syria and even dispatched ground troops to a demilitarized buffer zone.

reactions to the change of regime

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented during a rare press conference on Monday evening and described the collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad as "a new and dramatic chapter". He added: "The collapse of the Syrian regime is the direct result of the heavy blows that we have put Hamas, Hisbollah and Iran. The axis has not yet disappeared, but as I promised - we change the face of the Middle East."

fears and military measures

Israel's politicians are happy about the case of Assad, a permanent ally of Iran who tolerated Syria's use as a post -drawer route for the Hisbollah in Lebanon. At the same time, however, they have concerns about what could happen if radical Islamists take over Syria, which borders on Israel in the occupied Golan heights. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told journalists that Israel bombs Syrian military facilities in which chemical arms warehouse and long -distance missiles are stored in order to prevent them from "falling into the hands of extremists".

"As far as the future is concerned, I am not a prophet," he said. "It is currently important to take all the necessary steps to protect Israel."

military activities in Syria

A CNN team in Damascus reported in the early morning of loud explosions that stopped all Tuesday and a continuation of the attacks that had started at the weekend. The Syrian activist group "Voice of the Capital" said that the nightly bomb campaign was "the most violent in Damascus for 15 years".

The Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the navy destroyed the Syrian fleet at night and described this as "great success". An AFP photographer documented the comprehensive destruction of military ships in the Syrian port of Latakia.

international reactions and allegations

In the meantime, several Arab states of Israel have accused of using instability in Syria to occupy land. The Arab league, an amalgamation of Arab nations, explained that Israel used "developments in the internal situation in Syria", while Egypt spoke of "use of the state of fluidity and vacuum ... for the occupation of other Syrian areas".

operations beyond the buffer zone

Nadav Shoshani, a spokesman for the Israeli military, rejected the claim that the troops "move towards Damascus", but admitted that they operated on Syria beyond the buffer zone. The Israeli military emphasizes that it "does not interfere in the internal events in Syria". On Monday, Katz said in a statement that Israel creates a "security zone free of severe strategic weapons and terrorist infrastructures" in southern Syria "beyond the buffer zone".

"Voice of the Capital" reported on Tuesday that Israeli forces advanced to Beqaasem, about 25 kilometers from the Syrian capital and several kilometers beyond the Syrian side of the buffer zone. CNN could not confirm this information independently, but the village lies in the Syrian foothills of Mount Hermon, which Israeli troops conquered on Sunday. Mount Hermon is a strategic point of highlight on the border between Syria, Lebanon and the Golan heights.

history of the buffer zone

The Israeli ground troops entered Syrian territory after Netanyahu had instructed the military on Sunday to secure the demilitarized "separation area" between the Israeli -occupied Golan heights and the rest of Syria. This zone was set up in 1974 after Israeli forces - in response to a Syrian attack - conquered the Golan heights in 1967. Israel annexed the area in 1981, but continues to consider it as an area occupied by Syria.

future of the Israeli troops

Israel's officials refuse to provide details of how far the Israeli troops advantage or how long they will stay there. Danny Dannon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security Council in a letter on Monday that his country was "temporarily stationed at a few points". He said that it was "limited and temporary measures to counter a further threat to the citizens".

Eyad Kourdi and Dana Karni contributed to this report.