End of Assad regime marks ‘fall of the Iranian axis,’ experts say

MUHAMMAD HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Israel has opportunity to start a positive relationship with some Syrian rebel groups, even as IDF deploys in buffer zone to make clear they should avoid attacking Israel

By Lahav Harkov

With the stunning fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, another branch of Iran’s “axis of resistance” to Israel has been eliminated, a positive development with strategic opportunities for Israel, though there are still risks to the Jewish state, experts told Jewish Insider.

The lightning-quick rebel takeover of Syria came after Israeli military achievements against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, including the killing of much of both groups’ leadership and the elimination of a significant portion of their military infrastructure over the past year.

Visiting the border with Syria on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “the Assad regime a central link in the Iranian axis of evil,” and said its downfall was a “direct result of our blows to Iran and Hezbollah, the Assad regime’s main supporters,” which “created a chain reaction throughout the Middle East.”

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