Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar held a briefing for foreign reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Monday morning following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria over the weekend.
"What guides us is the security of the State of Israel and its citizens. Therefore, we attacked strategic weapons arrays, residual chemical weapons capabilities, long-range missiles and rockets - so that they do not fall into the hands of extremist elements. During the weekend, armed men infiltrated the area near the border in a manner that constituted a violation of the Separation of Forces Agreement with Syria from May 1974. We also saw these armed men attack UNDOF posts, which are near the border," Sa'ar said.
"Following this and in light of the threat, especially to our communities in the Golan Heights, and in accordance with the decision of the Security Cabinet, the IDF took targeted and temporary control of controlled areas near the border to prevent an October 7 scenario from Syria," Sa'ar emphasized.
He stated that "the Iranian occupation of Syria is over. Assad has long relied on foreign forces and not on the support of his own people. Therefore, the end of his rule should not be surprising. Iranian control in Syria and Lebanon was artificial. The Lebanese people also have the right to freedom from Iranian control. Iran thought it could control the entire region. This aspiration crashed on the rocks of reality."
Saar also addressed the need to protect minorities in Syria. "It is important to ensure the protection of minorities in Syria: Kurds, Druze, and Christians, and also Alawites. On this issue - we will follow with actions, not words. The attack on the Kurds, as we saw yesterday in Manbij, must stop. There must be a commitment and actions by the international community to protect the Kurds, who fought bravely against ISIS. We have spoken with the American administration and other countries on this matter. We are of course in contact with the Kurds and Druze in Syria. I understand that there is an American commitment to the security of the Kurds."