Netanyahu warns of forceful Israeli response if new Syrian leaders ‘allows Iranian re-establishment’

Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of a forceful Israeli response if Syria’s new leadership “allows Iranian re-establishment” following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The Israeli prime minister said he authorised air forces to bomb strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian army to avoid them falling “into the hands of Jihadists.”

Though Israel welcomed the fall of Assad, an ally of its main enemy Iran, it reacted cautiously to the leading rebel faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which has roots in Islamist movements including al Qaeda and Islamic State — though it has sought to moderate its image.