Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday (Dec. 8) that he had ordered the Israeli military to seize a buffer zone on the border with Syria after Bashar al-Assad fled Syria.
Netanyahu said a 50-year-old “disengagement agreement” between the two countries had collapsed and “Syrian forces have abandoned their positions”.
“I directed the IDF (military) yesterday to seize the buffer zone and the commanding positions nearby. We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” he further said.
However, IDF said its deployment in the buffer zone is just a defensive and temporary measure amid the chaos in the country.
Netanyahu’s announcement came after the IDF said it had deployed forces to the area.
Netanyahu claims credit for Assad regime’s fall
The Israeli PM claimed credit for starting the events that eventually led to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
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During a visit to Mount Bental on Israel’s border with Syria, Netanyahu said, “This is a historic day in the history of the Middle East. 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 have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, the main supporters of the Assad regime,” he said.
‘Urgent warning’ to Syrian villages
IDF further issued an “urgent warning” to residents of several southern Syrian villages close to the Israeli border.
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, posted on X saying, “The fighting in your area is forcing the IDF to act, and we do not intend to harm you.”
“For your safety, you must stay at home and not go out until further notice,” he added.
This was after several Syrian and Arab media reported fresh Israeli strikes in the capital city of Damascus.
(With inputs from agencies)