West Jerusalem has said it wants to keep such arms out of hostile hands following the fall of Bashar Assad
Israel has launched airstrikes targeting suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range missile facilities in Syria, according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Saar emphasized that Israel aims to prevent such armaments from falling into the hands of hostile groups. “The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens,” he stated.
While specific details regarding the timing and location of the strikes were not disclosed, an Associated Press journalist reported airstrikes near the Mezzeh military airport, located southwest of Damascus, on Sunday. This facility has been a frequent target of Israeli air operations, although it remains unclear who was responsible for the latest attacks.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, targeting what it says are military sites related to militant group Hezbollah. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the military had been ordered to establish full control over the buffer zone along the Syrian border in the Golan Heights. He emphasized plans to prevent arms smuggling routes from Iran into Lebanon and to continue targeting “strategic weapons,” such as missiles and air defense systems, to ensure they do not fall into hostile hands.
Armed opposition forces rapidly seized control of Damascus over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that after negotiations with the opposition, Bashar Assad stepped down as the country’s president and traveled to Moscow.
Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, the US, UK, and other Western powers have accused former President Bashar Assad’s government of using chemical weapons against opposition forces. It has also been used as justification for the US military’s occupation of oil-rich areas in northeast Syria since 2014. In 2018, the US, UK, and France launched missile strikes on Syrian government sites following allegations from the White Helmets NGO that Assad’s forces used chemical weapons in Douma. The Syrian government denied involvement, with both Damascus and Moscow claiming evidence suggested the attack was staged.
