- Title: Presence of Israeli forces in Syrian territory 'temporary', says Israeli FM
- Date: 9th December 2024
- Summary: JERUSALEM (DECEMBER 9, 2024) (REUTERS) JOURNALISTS ATTENDING PRESSER BY ISRAELI MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, GIDEON SAAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, GIDEON SAAR, SAYING: "With regard to the situation now, the one who leads and takes control in Damascus right now, Golani and others, are people with an extreme ideology of radical Islam. That's
- Embargoed: 23rd December 2024 10:27
- Keywords: FM Gideon Saar Israel Syria security
- Location: JERUSALEM
- City: JERUSALEM
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA001577909122024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday (December 9) that the presence of Israeli forces in Syrian territory was a “limited, temporary” step meant to ensure Israel’s security during the confusion after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Referring to Syria's most powerful rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani Saar said Israel considered many of the rebel leaders as having a dangerous and "extreme ideology of radical Islam" and Israel is hoping to head off any threat that could emerge in the fallout of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.
Early on Sunday, the military said it had sent ground forces into the demilitarised zone, a 400-sq-km (155-sq-mile) buffer created by a 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement and overseen by the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).
Israel has watched the upheaval in Syria with a mixture of hope and concern as it weighs the consequences of one of the most significant strategic shifts in the Middle East in years.
Saar said minorities in Syria must be protected and attacks on Kurds must stop.
Alawites, the sect to which Assad and most high-ranking military officers belong, were largely supportive of Assad's campaign to crush the Sunni-led revolt against his rule during the civil war.
Early in Syria's war, many Alawites say they felt they have no choice but to back Assad, fearing retaliatory slaughter for religious affiliation with the president as the revolt became increasingly sectarian.
Alawites are believed to make up about about 10 percent of the 23 million population, Sunni Muslims about 70 percent, and there are substantial communities of Christians, Kurds, Druze and other religious or ethnic minorities.
Saar also spoke about deadlocked negotiations with Hamas on a release of hostages in Gaza, saying indirect talks were ongoing, without elaborating. He said Israel could be more optimistic about an eventual breakthrough but was not there yet.
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