Israel holds a secure position in the Golan Heights of Syria after the fall of al-Assad | Golan Heights news

Israeli forces also bombed weapons depots in southern Syria and in the capital Damascus, Israeli media reported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has ordered Israeli forces to “seize” the Golan Heights security zone established by a 1974 ceasefire deal with Syria, after a lightning advance by Syrian opposition forces ended Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Netanyahu said on Sunday that the decades-old agreement had collapsed and that the Syrian army had left its positions, which led to Israel taking over.

“We will not allow any hostile force to settle on our border,” he said.

Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 war and occupied it. The international community, with the exception of the United States, views it as occupied Syrian territory.

Agricultural areas in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights were declared war zones and some schools were switched to online classes in anticipation of unrest.

Syrians poured into the streets to echo with gunfire on Sunday after the opposition captured the capital Damascus, ending 50 years of rule by the al-Assad family but raising questions about the future of the country and the wider region.

Jubilant crowds gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian rebel flag in scenes that commemorate the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before the brutal collapse and outbreak of the uprising plunged the country into nearly 14 years of war.

Netanyahu hailed the removal of al-Assad on Sunday as a “historic day” that followed Israel’s blows to al-Assad’s supporters Iran and Hezbollah in its recent war with Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Israeli media said on Sunday that the Israeli military bombed weapons depots in southern Syria and Damascus to prevent opposition groups from attacking them.

“We attacked ammunition depots in southern Syria and in the area of ​​Damascus airport because we fear they may fall into the hands of armed groups and local groups,” Israeli public broadcaster KAN quoted an unnamed Israeli security official as saying.

“Israel is working to deter any potential threats and prevent any damage to its air superiority over Syria,” the official said.

Israeli Daily Yedioth Ahronoth said weapons depots and surface-to-surface missile depots were the targets of Israeli strikes in Syria, without providing further details.

Israel has often pointed to arms shipments and military installations in Syria during the country’s war, raising concerns about the transfer of advanced weapons to hostile groups, including Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias.

An Associated Press correspondent in Damascus reported an airstrike near the Mazzeh military airport, southwest of the capital, on Sunday.

The airport has been attacked by Israeli planes, but it was not clear who started the attack on Sunday.

The Israeli military has declined to comment on the reports and Israel rarely publicly claims responsibility for attacks in Syria.