The Assad regime has officially tumbled as Islamist rebels overtook the capital and cleared army posts. The Assad family has been in power for 54 years with Mr. Bashar al Assad taking over for his father in the year 2000. He has now fled the country. Reports are out suggesting he is in Moscow, which makes sense based on the two countries’ alliance. Assad is known to have killed half a million of his own citizens in Syria during a long, near 14 year civil war. Syria shares a border with Israel and has been considered an enemy state for generations.
On Saturday, armed residents from villages in the Syrian Golan announced their allegiance to rebel factions and quickly removed symbols of the regime in their areas. Israel is closely monitoring the situation, and has put its army into the buffer area, telling Syrian civilians they are not the target. The IDF’s Arabic spokesman stated on twitter “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.” Israel is also worried about potential harm to the UN peacekeeping force (UNDOF) and threats from extremist Sunni groups targeting Druze villages near the border, where many residents have family ties to Israel. The IDF has deployed armored and infantry units to the Golan Heights, using targeted firepower in the buffer zone as a warning to keep rebels at bay.
On Sunday, IDF paratroopers from the 210th Battalion joined forces with regional brigades to secure perimeters within the Syrian buffer zones, following Defense Minister Israel Katz’s directive to establish a demilitarized security zone along Israel’s border. Katz says the expanded security zone, now under IDF control, would remain free of strategic weapons and terror infrastructure to ensure stability in the region.
The Druze are a group of people in the Middle East with their own religion, culture and lifestyle. They’ve been historically persecuted by Muslims. Druze speak Arabic and are from this region. Many Druze men serve in the Israeli army and are a very valued part of Israeli society. Many also have families living on the other side of the Syria/ Israel border. Druze are very loyal to their host nations. I’ve interviewed a number of Druze families and they all wish they could see their families on the other side, but they are not able to. It is even dangerous for them to speak on the phone at times. They communicate with their families on the other side of the border through Whatsapp. Some of the older members of the community remember seeing their families in person… some thirty plus years ago. Now Israel is working to secure the Druze population in border communities here in Israel, trying to avoid potential violence against this vulnerable and persecuted group. In a press statement, the Prime Minister of israel stated: “We send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the Christians, and to the Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel. We’re going to follow events very carefully. If we can establish neighborly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that’s our desire. But if we do not, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel.”
Syrian Kurdish representatives recently requested assistance from Israeli officials as the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad weakened. This plea for help comes amid rising attacks from Turkish-backed rebels on Kurdish forces in northern Syria, particularly in the Manbij area. Israel views the Kurdish community as an ally and has worked with Western nations to protect them in the past and in recent weeks. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar actively discussed the Kurdish situation with his European and American counterparts, stressing the need for international support. At a foreign ministers’ conference in Malta, he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and later spoke with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Sa’ar’s message emphasizes the importance of ensuring safety for the Kurdish community and protect them against extremist attacks.
