'Historic day for Middle East': Netanyahu hails collapse of Assad regime in Syria

Tel Aviv [Israel], December 8 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's two-decade-long regime in Syria, calling it a "historic day" for the Middle East region.
Netanyahu further acknowledged that while the collapse presents great opportunities, it also poses significant dangers. He extended a 'hand of peace' for all beyond Israeli borders to live in peace with Israel.
Netanyahu shared a video on X and stated, "This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers. We send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the Christians, and to the Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel."
Following the Syrian Army abandoning its positions, Netanyahu said that he had ordered the Israeli Army to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel.
"This collapse is a direct result of our forceful action against Hezbollah and Iran, Assad's main supporters. It set off a chain reaction of all those who want to free themselves from this tyranny and its suppression. But it also means we have to take action against possible threats. One of them is the collapse of the Separation of Forces agreement from 1974 between Israel and Syria. This agreement held for 50 years. Last night it collapsed," he said.
"The Syrian army abandoned its positions. We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found. We're going to follow events very carefully. If we can establish neighbourly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that's our desire. But if we do not, we'll do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel," he added.
Notably, the situation in Syria remains a focal point for all the other nations after Syrian rebels on Sunday entered Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee for an unknown destination, ending his over two-decade rule in the country.
The development came hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria's third-largest city, Homs, to the north of the country.
The head of Syria's main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now "without Bashar al-Assad" according to Reuters.
This came after Syrian rebels claimed capturing Damascus."The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled," the armed opposition said in a statement.
The civil war in the country that had remained dormant for a few years has resurfaced and within a span of a few weeks, the Syrian rebel groups have taken over several key cities like Aleppo, Homs and Daraa.