Netanyahu: "Syrian Rebel Victory Thanks to Israeli Military Operation"

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, claimed on the 8th (local time) that the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime was thanks to his country's military operations. He explained that since the Gaza Strip war broke out in October last year, Israel has struck Iran and Hezbollah, who had supported the Assad regime, causing a kind of 'domino effect.' Meanwhile, Iran, which lost the Assad regime, one of its major allies in the Middle East's anti-American and anti-Israel wars, stated that Syria's future should be decided by the Syrian people without external coercion.

According to Israeli media such as Ynet, Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the Golan Heights, an area occupied by Israel on the northern border with Syria, and said, "The Assad regime, a key link in Iran's 'axis of evil,' has fallen," calling it "a historic day in the Middle East." He self-praised, "This is a direct result of striking Iran and Hezbollah, who supported the Assad regime."

When the war broke out on October 7 last year due to a surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, the Israeli military attacked not only the Palestinian Gaza Strip but also Lebanon, the base of Hezbollah. From September to November, when a temporary ceasefire was achieved, ground battles were fought in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah's stronghold, causing significant losses to Hezbollah's forces. The Guardian daily analyzed, "The domino effect of the Gaza war that started on October 7 is still causing ripples in the Middle East," adding, "The next situation in Syria is uncertain, but Iran is clear. It cannot deny that the (Iran-led) axis of resistance has collapsed." Iran and its proxy, Lebanon's Hezbollah, have supported the Assad regime in Syria during the civil war.

Along with this, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "Yesterday, I instructed the military to take control of the buffer zone and the dominant positions nearby (on the Syrian border)," adding, "We will not tolerate any hostile forces stationed at the border." He claimed, "This area was defined as a buffer zone for 50 years according to the 1974 agreement, but now that has collapsed," and "The Syrian army has abandoned its positions." Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, also met with new recruits of the Golani Brigade on the same day and said, "Since yesterday, we have been engaged on four fronts," mentioning, "Ground forces are fighting terrorism and combat in Judea and Samaria (the Israeli term for the West Bank), Gaza Strip, and Lebanon, and last night troops were deployed on Syrian territory."

Israel occupied the Golan Heights, which was Syrian territory, during the 1967 Six-Day War and has effectively controlled it since. According to the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria, a buffer zone was established in this area, and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) is stationed there. Last month, media outlets such as CNN in the U.S. and BBC in the U.K. reported that Israel appears to have recently dug trenches in parts of the Golan Heights, which could be considered a violation of the agreement.

Iran, which has supported the Assad regime, stated on the day the rebels declared victory, "The future and fate of Syria should be entirely the responsibility of the Syrian people without destructive interference or external coercion." The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed in a statement, "Iran reiterates its principled position respecting Syria's unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity amid recent developments," emphasizing, "Military conflicts must stop immediately, terrorism must be prevented, and a national dialogue including all segments of Syrian society should begin to establish an inclusive governance structure representing all Syrians." Additionally, it added, "Iran continues to support United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 regarding the Syrian political process," and "We will closely monitor the situation in Syria and the region and take appropriate approaches if necessary."

The Security Council Resolution 2254 mentioned by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was adopted in December 2015 for a political solution to the Syrian issue. It calls on all parties to cease the use of weapons and engage in ceasefire negotiations. Notably, the resolution designates the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra (Jabhat al-Nusra Front), which occupied a significant part of Syrian territory at the time, as terrorist organizations and excludes them from ceasefire discussions. Since the Islamic armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the recent rebel offensive, originated from the al-Nusra Front, there is room to interpret Iran's statement as an attempt to check HTS.