Jerusalem: Israel has struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors, the foreign minister said Monday.
“The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens," Gideon Saar told reporters on Monday. “That’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.”
Syrian rebels reached Damascus over the weekend and overthrew President Bashar Assad's government following nearly 14 years of civil war, raising hopes for a more peaceful future but also concerns about a potential security vacuum in the country, which is still split among armed groups.
An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported airstrikes in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital, on Sunday. The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched the latest strike. Saar did not provide details about when or where the strikes took place.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, targeting what it says are military sites related to Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, both of which were close allies of Assad. Israeli officials rarely comment on individual strikes.
Syria agreed to give up its chemical weapons stockpile in 2013 after the government was accused of launching an attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of people. However, it is widely believed to have kept some of the weapons and was accused of using them again in subsequent years.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by ETV Bharat and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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