NEW DELHI: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday (Dec 15) that Israel does not seek a confrontation with Syria. This comes just days after he ordered Israeli forces into the UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights, a region between the two countries forces.

“We have no interest in confronting Syria. We will determine Israel's policy towards Syria according to the emerging reality on the ground,” Netanyahu said in a video message.

He further said that Israel is committed to preventing Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group based in Lebanon, from rearming saying “this is a continuous test of Israel, we must withstand it - and we will withstand it.“
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Chief, General Hossein Salami, warned that Israel would "pay a heavy price" and "be buried" in Syria. 

According to Iran’s state television, General Salami said, “The Zionists will pay a heavy price; they will be buried in this land, but this will require some time.”

He also addressed Iran’s state television on the situation following the withdrawal of Iranian forces after Assad’s regime collapsed, adding that “terrible” events had occurred since. General Salami added that Iran's involvement in Syria was aimed at protecting the country’s dignity. Iran had been Assad’s strongest regional supporter during Syria's decade-long civil war, and while Tehran has consistently described its role as advisory, hundreds of Iranian forces were killed in the conflict.

On December 8, Syria’s army command issued a statement announcing that President Bashar al-Assad’s government had fallen. This came after armed groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), entered Damascus.
The HTS-led offensive to overthrow Assad’s government began on November 27, launching from their stronghold in Idlib, located in Syria’s western region.