Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Tuesday that any entity threatening Israel’s security would face dire consequences.
Speaking at a naval base in Haifa, Katz revealed that Israeli forces had destroyed Syria’s navy, as part of a broader campaign to neutralize strategic threats that could later pose a danger to Israel.
“The IDF has acted in recent days to attack and destroy strategic capabilities that threaten the State of Israel,” Katz stated, cautioning rebels that “whoever follows [ousted president Bashar] al-Assad’s footsteps will end up like Assad did.” He emphasized Israel’s resolve to prevent any “extremist Islamic terror entity” from operating against Israel.
Katz also announced the establishment of a temporary demilitarized zone beyond the buffer zone Israel has taken over in the border area. This “sterile defensive zone” in southern Syria aims to eliminate potential terrorist threats to Israel.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told the Associated Press Israel had struck “strategic weapons systems” in Syria, “like for example remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.” Israel’s only interest in doing so, he added, was “the security of Israel and its citizens.”
The Israeli military’s recent actions in Syria have been extensive, with reports indicating that the IDF hit more than 300 Syrian regime targets in just two days, marking the heaviest air campaign in the country since the 1973 Yom Kippur War and effectively crippling the Syrian air force.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to the Syrian border on Sunday hailed it as a “historic day” for Israel.
The last time Israel destroyed an entire air force was in 1967, when the Egyptian Air Force was wiped out in the first hours of the Six-Day War.
“We’re dismantling the Iranian axis piece by piece,” Netanyahu said during a press conference on Monday.
