Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Monday that Israel is in contact with several Syrian rebel groups, including members of the Druze and Kurdish communities, following the fall of the Assad regime.
Speaking at a press briefing for foreign media in Jerusalem, Sa'ar emphasized Israel's sole focus on safeguarding its citizens' security.
IDF paratroopers cross into Syria
(Video: IDF)
“Our only interest is the security of Israel and its citizens,” Sa'ar said. He confirmed that the Israeli military targeted strategic weapons systems, including chemical weapons and long-range missiles, to prevent them from falling into extremist hands.
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Sa'ar described recent incursions by armed groups into the buffer zone along the Israel-Syria border, established under a 1974 disengagement agreement. He said these militants attacked a UN position near the border, prompting Israel to act to protect communities on the Golan Heights. "The decision to act was made to prevent an event like the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7," Sa'ar said, referencing a deadly attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and saw 254 more taken hostage by Hamas-led terrorists.
Earlier, the IDF announced that paratroopers and other forces were operating in the buffer zone to secure Israeli communities against potential threats.
Meanwhile, Egypt criticized Israel’s actions, accusing it of attempting to impose “a new reality” in Syria. In a statement, Cairo condemned what it called “further occupation of Syrian lands,” referring to the IDF's presence in the buffer zone.