Israel claims role in Assad's downfall amid regional tensions
Israel, a neighbour of Syria, is also responding to the regime's downfall. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that Assad's escape is partly due to Israel.
The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime is a historic day, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. He added that Assad's regime was an important component of the pro-Iranian axis, and its overthrow was a direct result of strikes delivered by Israel against the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran itself.
Netanyahu emphasised that Israel will not allow any "hostile forces" to establish their presence near its borders.
Earlier, there were reports that Israel had strengthened its military presence on the occupied Golan Heights, which were captured from Syria in 1967.
The fall of Assad's regime
The Syrian army command announced on Sunday that Assad's authoritarian rule had come to an end following the success of a swift rebel offensive, which resulted in their capturing the capital of Syria overnight from Saturday to Sunday with virtually no resistance from government forces.
Assad, who had suppressed all signs of dissent and imprisoned thousands of people, flew out of Damascus in an unknown direction on Sunday.
This information was confirmed by several sources, including an interview with the German agency dpa by Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) based in London.
