Key link in Iran's 'Axis of Evil' toppled in Syria, says Israel PM

JERUSALEM,— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the recent overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad as a “historic day in the Middle East” and described it as the collapse of a “central link in Iran’s axis of evil.”

During a visit to the Israeli Golan Heights, Netanyahu said that the changes unfolding in Syria are “a direct consequence of the decisive actions we have taken against Iran and Hezbollah, Assad’s main supporters.”

He claimed these actions had sparked a domino effect across the region, inspiring those seeking liberation from oppressive regimes.

In recent months, Israel has conducted operations targeting key figures in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and senior leaders of Gaza’s Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah—both supported by Tehran.

Netanyahu stated that Assad’s removal “offers significant new opportunities” for Israel while acknowledging the associated risks.

“We are pursuing a good-neighbor policy,” Netanyahu said. “We extend a hand of peace to our Druze neighbors, who share strong ties with the Druze citizens of Israel. Additionally, we extend this gesture to Kurds, Christians, and Muslims who wish to live in peace with Israel.”

Syria, a country with a diverse ethnic and religious population, includes significant communities of Christians, Alawites, Kurds, and Druze, among others. The Druze, an Arab ethno-religious minority, also have notable populations in Israel and Lebanon.

Netanyahu emphasized that Israel would “closely monitor developments and take necessary steps to defend our borders and ensure security.” He further revealed that he had instructed the military to assume control of a demilitarized buffer zone along the Syrian border.

Defense Minister Israel Katz, who accompanied Netanyahu on the visit, commented on Iran’s weakening influence. Katz remarked, “Iran’s influence is being dismantled piece by piece.”

The overthrow of Assad marks the end of over 50 years of rule by his family. The Islamist-led Syrian rebels launched a swift offensive on November 27, 2024, breaking a prolonged stalemate in the civil war that began in 2011.

Assad’s regime had relied heavily on military support from Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia, which intervened in 2015.

In a key development earlier this year, the Israeli military conducted an airstrike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah’s long-time leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Since the start of Syria’s civil war, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes targeting Syrian forces and Iran-backed groups.

These operations intensified following escalating hostilities with Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, culminating in a ceasefire on November 27, the same day Syrian Islamist rebels advanced.

While Israel rarely comments on specific military strikes in Syria, officials have consistently maintained that they will not permit Iran to expand its foothold in the country.

(With files from AFP)