Katz warns Syria’s rebels: ‘Whoever follows in Assad’s footsteps will end up like Assad did’

Defense Minister Israel Katz issues a warning to Syria’s rebels, saying that any entity that poses a threat to Israel will be targeted relentlessly.

Touring a Navy base in Haifa a day after Syria’s fleet was destroyed by missiles fired from warships, Katz is briefed by senior officers on how the operation was carried out.

“The IDF has acted in the last few days to attack and destroy strategic capabilities that threaten the State of Israel,” Katz says, warning the rebels that “whoever follows [ousted president Bashar] al-Assad’s footsteps will end up like Assad did. We won’t allow an extremist Islamic terror entity to act against Israel from beyond its borders… we will do anything to remove the threat.”

Katz repeats that the IDF is creating a demilitarized zone — without permanent Israeli presence — beyond the buffer zone it has taken over in the border area.