The State of Israel is preparing for the possible collapse of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as Islamist rebel forces in northern Syria continued their lightning advance by capturing the city of Hama on Thursday and reaching the outskirts of Homs on Friday.
Meanwhile, new clashes erupted on Friday, partially within sight of Israel's border with Syria along the Golan Heights, as rebel groups seized control of several towns and military checkpoints in the Daraa province.
On Thursday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an urgent security assessment to discuss the rapidly unfolding events in Syria, Israel's northeastern neighbor. The IDF also stated that Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi held a situational assessment with the army’s top brass.
“The IDF follows the events and is prepared for any scenario in attack and defense,” the army said. “The IDF will not allow a threat near the Syrian-Israeli border, and will work to thwart any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
According to Israeli media reports, prior to the rebels reaching the outskirts of Homs and capturing towns in southern Syria, the IDF assessed that the Syrian regime was in real danger of collapse – a scenario that has become increasingly likely in recent hours.
Channel 12 reported that Israeli intelligence was surprised by the rapidity of the collapse of the Syrian army. “The Syrian military forces are not really fighting,” an Israeli official told the Axios news outlet.
“We don't think the regime is in immediate danger, but this is the biggest challenge for the Assad regime in the last decade,” he added.
On Thursday, al-Arabiya news carried a so-far unconfirmed report, citing an Israeli political source claiming Israel would “establish a buffer zone inside Syria” if the city of Homs fell to the rebels.
Israel shared its concerns with the Biden administration about the potential takeover of Syria, either by radical Islamists or by additional Iranian-backed militia forces, a U.S. official told Axios.
Syrian reports claimed on Thursday morning that Israeli airstrikes had destroyed caches containing advanced weapons in northern Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Islamist rebel groups.
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