Netanyahu claims credit for overthrowing Assad — RT World News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that the autumn of Bashar Assad’s authorities in Syria is a “direct end result” of Israel’s army marketing campaign towards Hezbollah and Iran.

Anti-government forces, together with Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadists and US-armed Free Syrian Military militants, stormed Damascus on Saturday, because the Syrian Military stood down and Assad – in keeping with the Russian International Ministry – left the nation for an unknown vacation spot. HTS chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a former al-Qaeda commander, proclaimed victory in a televised assertion on Sunday, declaring that “the longer term is ours.”

In a go to to the Israel-Syria border on Sunday, Netanyahu hailed the novel Islamist takeover of Syria.

”This can be a historic day within the historical past of the Center East,” he mentioned in a video assertion. “The Assad regime is a central hyperlink in Iran’s axis of evil: this regime has fallen.”

“This can be a direct results of the blows we now have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, the primary supporters of the Assad regime,” he continued, claiming that Israel’s strikes on Iran and army marketing campaign towards Hezbollah in Lebanon hampered their capability to strengthen Assad’s troops towards the terrorist advance.

”This has created a sequence response all through the Center East of all those that wish to be free from this oppressive and tyrannical regime,” he added.

HTS forces launched a shock offensive towards the Syrian Military within the northern Idlib and Aleppo provinces late final month, and shortly seized a variety of key cities alongside the highway south to Damascus. From the outset, Assad’s authorities maintained that the jihadists’ ranks had been swelled by massive numbers of international fighters, whereas the Russian International Ministry claimed that the terrorists had obtained coaching from Ukrainian army intelligence.

Whereas it’s unclear whether or not al-Jolani coordinated with the US and Israel previous to the assault, former US Particular Consultant for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey described HTS in 2021 as “an asset” of Washington, whereas Jolani himself has insisted that his combat will not be with the West, however with Assad and Iran.

“We love Israel and we had been by no means its enemies,” a jihadist fighter from Idlib instructed Israel’s Kan broadcaster final week. “[Israel] isn’t hostile to those that will not be hostile towards it. We don’t hate you, we love you very a lot,” the militant added.

Israel has capitalized on the autumn of Assad by transferring troops right into a area of the Golan Heights that had served as a buffer zone between the 2 nations because the 1974 Separation of Forces Settlement was signed within the wake of the Yom Kippur Struggle. In his handle on Sunday, Netanyahu mentioned that he was appearing “at the start to guard our border,” and that the settlement successfully “collapsed” as soon as Syrian troops “deserted their positions.”