Israel Concerned About Advancing Rebels from Syria Following Assad's Fall

tel aviv - Israel expresses concerns about the rise of rebel forces dominated by jihadists following the fall of the Syrian regime and takes actions to secure the region.

Israel welcomes the end of the Syrian regime, a crucial part of Iran's Axis of Resistance, but is worried about the power shift to rebels, dominated by jihadists, and the potential chaos ahead. The Israeli air force has conducted airstrikes on weapons depots in recent days to prevent them from falling into rebel hands. Prime Minister Netanyahu describes Assad's fall as a 'historic day' and attributes it to the blows dealt to Iran and Hezbollah, Assad's main allies.

Israeli troops have moved across the border to establish control over a buffer zone set up fifty years ago, after the Yom Kippur War. Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the army to secure the entire buffer zone to protect the border and prevent the influx of strategic weapons or terrorist bases in southern Syria, beyond the buffer zone.

Israel has tried to stay neutral in the Syrian conflict but has carried out hundreds of attacks, mainly targeting Iranian weapons shipments to Hezbollah. Israel has also provided medical care to Syrians over the years to build friendly relations. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and annexed the territory later, a move recognized by the United States under Donald Trump's administration. Israel has named a village in the Golan after Trump.

Israel hopes for cooperation from Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani for the return of Israeli soldiers and spies killed or missing in Syria, including Eli Cohen, a famous Israeli spy executed in 1965. Cohen's widow, Nadia, hopes the current developments in Syria will help bring her husband's remains back to Israel for a peaceful burial.

Family members of two missing Israeli soldiers, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman, are closely monitoring news of rebels releasing prisoners, hoping for clues about their loved ones' fate since they went missing in Lebanon in 1982. Frehia Hyman, Katz's sister, remains hopeful and watches the released prisoners' footage in anticipation of her brother's return.