Israel 'preparing for collapse of Assad regime in Syria'

The story comes from The Telegraph.

Israel 'preparing for collapse of Assad regime in Syria'


Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Mr Netanyahu said such an event would have "implications" for Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.

Israel and the US fear the weapons could fall into the hands of radical Islamists fighting Mr Assad or the Lebanese Shia group, Hizbollah.

"We are monitoring developments in Syria, where there are dramatic developments almost daily," the Israeli prime minister said.

"We are co-operating with the US and, together with the international community, are taking the necessary measures to prepare ourselves for the possibility of far-reaching changes in the regime, with implications for the sensitive weapons systems there."

Mr Netanyahu's prediction that the Assad regime – one of Israel's sworn enemies – could be nearing its end came as the United Nations envoy was forced for safety reasons to travel by road to Damascus from neighbouring Lebanon for urgent talks with the Syrian president.


Lakhdar Brahimi, who also represents the Arab League, was reported to have decided against flying to Damascus because of fighting near the airport between government and rebel forces.

A senior Israeli defence official, Amos Gilad, said that Syria's chemical weapons were still in the hands of the government, even though it had lost control of large parts of the country.

But he cautioned against the consequences of Mr Assad being toppled or stepping down, as Western powers and some Arab countries have urged him to do.

"Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the Middle East you never know who will come instead," Mr Gilad told Israel Radio.

"We need to stay level-headed; the entire world is dealing with this. At the moment, chemical weapons are under control. The opposition is not managing to defeat him and he is not defeating the opposition, though more and more parts of Syria are no longer under his control and that is what matters."

Separately, Syrian rebels attacked a base protecting a military industrial compound in the town of al-Safira, near Aleppo, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Seven rebels were killed in the raid. Elsewhere, rebel forces claimed to have a captured a government military camp on the outskirts of Damascus.