Israeli ground forces have crossed into Syrian territory for the first time since the 1973 October War, amid a successful push by rebel groups in Syria to drive President Bashar al-Assad out of power.
According to Israeli officials, the deployment came as rebel groups in Syria made significant gains, capturing key cities such as Hama and Aleppo. The Israel Defense Force(IDF) has taken control of the mountain summit of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, as well as several other locations deemed essential for stabilizing control of the area.
The IDF has also been assisting UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights in repelling an attack “by armed individuals,” while the foreign minister said “armed forces” had entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone.
Israeli tanks have also crossed the border fence in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, with the Israeli regime’s military announcing the beginning of its land invasion of southern Syria.
The development marks a significant shift in policy as the first overt entry of Israeli military forces into Syrian territory since the 1974 cease-fire agreement that officially ended the last war between Israel and Syria.
Meanwhile Russian state TV reported Sunday, that Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and been granted asylum "out of humanitarian considerations."
Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry had announced that Assad "decided to resign the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power."
Russia, which has two key military bases in Syria, is a staunch ally of Assad and had intervened in Syria's 13-year civil war in an effort to keep him in power.
