Following the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed paratroopers to Syria on Sunday to carry out “defensive activities.”

The IDF said the operation was intended to “proactively ensure the defense of the Golan” amid instability in Syria. Footage and images show paratroopers and heavily armored tanks stationed in the buffer zone. The move comes as both the US and Israel have attacked multiple targets in Syria following the fall of Assad.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said early Monday morning that Israel had also carried out attacks on suspected Syrian chemical weapons sites. Assad infamously used chemical weapons against his own civilians during former President Barack Obama’s administration. The US and Israel are taking measures to ensure that these weapons do not fall into the hands of the Islamist rebels who currently control Syria.

“The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens,” Saar said Monday. “That’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, such as remaining chemical weapons or long-range missiles, so that they don’t fall into the hands of extremists.”

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IDF paratroopers were deployed to Syria on Sunday as Syrian rebels overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad. (IDF)

Leaders in the United States and Israel have praised Assad’s ouster but also expressed concern about who will lead the country forward. The main rebel group in the game is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which translates to Organization for the Liberation of the Levant. The organization is a terrorist group with ties to both IS and Al-Qaeda.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Assad’s overthrow in a statement on Sunday and then announced troop movements on Sunday to “address possible threats.”

“One of them is the collapse of the 1974 separation of powers agreement between Israel and Syria. This agreement lasted for 50 years. It collapsed last night,” Netanyahu said. “The Syrian army has abandoned its positions. We have ordered the Israeli army to take over these positions to ensure that no enemy force establishes itself directly on the border with Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable agreement is found.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a televised statement in Jerusalem on November 26. (Israeli government press office via AP)

Netanyahu concluded by extending a “hand of peace” to the people of Syria, including “Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel.”

President Biden echoed Netanyahu’s cautious optimism in his response to Assad’s ouster.

“The Assad regime has finally fallen. The overthrow of this regime is a fundamental act of justice. It is a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering Syrian people to build a better future for their country. “It is also a moment of risk and uncertainty,” Biden said.

“New opportunities are now opening up for the people of Syria and for the entire region,” he added.

President Biden praised the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime but urged caution. (AP)

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Assad, for his part, fled Damascus with his wife and three children shortly before the country fell into rebel hands this weekend. He has since been granted asylum in Moscow.