https://www.timesofisrael.com/saar-confirms-israel-hit-chemical-weapons-sites-an...Sa’ar confirms Israel hit chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria
Foreign minister says action taken to prevent strategic weapons systems from falling into hands of extremists
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed Monday that Israel had struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria on Sunday, saying it did so in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.
At a briefing for foreign media, Sa’ar stressed that Israel was acting as a precaution and that “the only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens.”
“That’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they not fall into the hands of extremists,” he said.
Sa’ar’s remarks came after Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck dozens of targets across Syria on Sunday, taking out weaponry that Israel feared could fall into the hands of hostile groups, in light of the dramatic fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Syria agreed to give up its chemical weapons stockpile in 2013, after the government was accused of launching an attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of people. However, it is widely believed to have kept some of the weapons and was accused of using them again in subsequent years.
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