The End of an Era: After 54 years of Assad family rule in Syria, 24 of them under Bashar al-Assad, and 13 years of a deadly civil war, the Syrian rebels announced this morning (Sunday) the official fall of the Syrian regime after taking over key government sites in Damascus. Assad’s fate is currently unknown, with most reports suggesting the dictator has fled to an undisclosed location.
This historic event marks the culmination of a process that began a week and a half ago with the Syrian rebels’ surprise offensive from the Idlib enclave toward Assad-controlled territories. The rebels swiftly captured city after city, advancing from Aleppo toward Hama and the outskirts of Homs. This triggered a renewed uprising of rebel cells in southern Syria, which seized provinces near Israel and attacked Damascus from the south. Assad’s army crumbled under the pressure and quickly collapsed in every battle it participated in.
The Israeli Perspective
In Israel, these developments are viewed with a mixture of joy and cautious apprehension. The IDF has conducted several offensive and defensive operations in recent days, preparing for the new reality that will prevail along the Israel-Syria border. Roads near the border in the Golan Heights were closed, emergency response teams were mobilized, and Division 98 (which recently completed maneuvers in Lebanon) was brought to the area to reinforce border forces. The IDF also began proactive operations in the demilitarized buffer zone between Israel and Syria (as defined by the 1974 disengagement agreements after the Yom Kippur War) to prevent the approach of militants and armed groups to the Israeli border and mitigate risks to residents of the Golan Heights. Additionally, the Air Force carried out overnight airstrikes on strategic weapon manufacturing sites to prevent them from falling into rebel hands, according to journalist Doron Kadosh.
However, in Israeli leadership circles, there are also optimistic voices regarding the fall of the Assad regime. The most positive outcome of this event is the potential “breaking” of the Shiite axis connecting Iran and Iraq with Hezbollah in Lebanon. This would dismantle Iran’s years-long entrenchment in Syria and along Israel’s border, effectively destroying a decades-long strategy against Israel. The changing Syrian landscape is in a flexible state, creating new strategic opportunities for Israel that could enhance its position in the Middle East in the long term.
