Israeli opposition leader calls for regional coalition after Assad’s fall

JERUSALEM

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called Sunday for the creation of a regional coalition to deal with regional instability following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.

Assad fled Syria to an unknown location after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus early Sunday, marking the collapse of the Baath Party regime, which had been in power in Syria since 1963.

It came almost a week after anti-regime groups seized control of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.

"In the face of events in Syria, it is more important than ever to create a strong regional coalition, with Saudi Arabia and the Abraham Accords countries, in order to deal together with regional instability,” Lapid said on his X account.

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the US, saw four Arab nations – the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco - establish diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020.

Israeli officials have long sought to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, but Riyadh said that it will establish ties only after ending the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.

“The Iranian axis has weakened significantly, and Israel needs to strive for a comprehensive political achievement that will also help it in Gaza and Judea and Samaria (West Bank)," Lapid said.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 44,600 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara