(9 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 09 December 2024
1. Wide shot of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar during news conference
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Gideon Saar, Israeli foreign minister:
“The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens. That’s why we attacked strategic weapon systems, like, for example, remaining of chemical weapons or long-range missiles and rockets in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.”
3. Cutaway of cameraman
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Gideon Saar, Israeli foreign minister:
“In the context of violations of the disengagement agreement we have with Syria from 1974, including during last Saturday attacks on UNDOF’s positions and outposts near our border, and with regard to a threat on our security, mainly our communities in the Golan Heights, we took in some points ruling territories near the border in order not to be surprised from October 7th in the Syrian border. I emphasize it is a very limited and temporary step, we took from security reasons.”
5. Saar leaving room
STORYLINE:
Israel has struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors, the foreign minister said Monday.
Gideon Saar said Monday 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 so that they will not fall in the hands of extremists."
His comments come after Syrian rebels reached Damascus over the weekend and overthrew President Bashar Assad’s government following nearly 14 years of civil war, raising hopes for a more peaceful future but also concerns about a potential security vacuum in the country, which is still split among armed groups.
Israelis have welcomed the fall of Assad, who was a key ally of Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, while expressing concern over what comes next.
Israel says its forces temporarily seized a buffer zone inside Syria dating back to a 1974 agreement after Syrian troops withdrew in the chaos.
Saar did not provide details about when or where the strikes took place.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, targeting what it says are military sites related to Iran and Hezbollah. Israeli officials rarely comment on individual strikes.
AP video by Shlomo Mor
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