The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched hundreds of attacks on Syrian heavy weaponry and suspected chemical weapons facilities in the 24 hours since the fall of the Assad regime, as Israeli soldiers moved into Syrian territory.
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country for Russia early Sunday morning as rebel forces, including Islamists, began moving into the capital city of Damascus. Russia and Iran were unwilling, or unable, to come to Assad’s aid.
Israel soon moved troops into the demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria, on Syrian territory, to deter Syrian rebels from attacking. It also occupied the peak of Mount Hermon, the highest in the region, on Syrian territory.
Reuters reported (via the Jerusalem Post):
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military would “destroy heavy strategic weapons throughout Syria, including surface-to-air missiles, air defense systems, surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, long-range rockets, and coastal missiles.”
A senior Israeli official said airstrikes would persist in the coming days, while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Israel had no interest in interfering in internal Syrian affairs and was concerned only with defending its citizens.
“That’s why we attack strategic weapons systems like, for example, remaining chemical weapons or long-range missiles and rockets in order that they will not fall into the hands of extremists,” Sa’ar told reporters in Jerusalem.
Some have suggested that Israel move Syrian weapons to the Kurds, who are under attack from Syrian rebels and Turkish forces near Syria’s northern border. Israel has expressed concern about the fate of the Kurds, and is also considering steps to protect the minority Druze and Christian communities of Syria, which may be newly vulnerable.