Israeli troops enter Syria for the first time in 50 years to help stabilize the situation as the country faces upheaval following rebels forcing the dictator to flee to Russia with his family.

Israeli ground forces have crossed into Syrian territory for the first time in 50 years to protect residents after Bashar al-Assad’s government fell. 

Troops seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday.

The Israeli military (IDF) said that it also sent troops to ‘other places necessary for its defense’, like the the Mount Hermon summit on the Syrian side of the border. It added that the force deployment was meant to provide security for residents.

IDF chief Herzi Halevi said that Israel had ‘deployed troops into Syrian territory’, confirming that troops were sent to the country for the first time in 50 years.

This came after a lightning rebel advance early on Sunday ended Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s rule in Syria, which triggered chaos in the country, with burning buildings illuminating the sky overnight.

Deposed president Bashar al-Assad and his family fled the country and have been given asylum in Moscow, Russian state media confirmed.

But US President Joe Biden said it was ‘a moment of risk and uncertainty’ because the Syrian rebels had a ‘grim record of terrorism’.

It came as Netanyahu said the decades-old ceasefire agreement had collapsed and Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating the Israeli takeover to protect Israeli residents.

‘We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found,’ Netanyahu said, according to the New York Times.

Independent monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that Israeli tanks and armored vehicles had been deployed in Golan Height’s Quneitra region which borders Israel, Lebanon and Jordan. 

Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it. 

The developments came on a monumental day that saw: 

•  Keir Starmer cautiously welcomed Assad’s fall and urged for a ‘political solution’;
• The Home Office was considering whether to lift the terror ban on HTS to allow ministers to engage with its leaders;
•  Celebrations erupted around Syria and the world as refugees tried to return home;
•  Crowds ransacked Assad’s luxurious home and offices in Damascus;
• Thousands were released from jails notorious for torturing political opponents.

The international community, except for the US, views it as occupied, and the Arab League on Sunday condemned what it called Israel’s efforts to take advantage of Assad’s downfall to occupy more territory. 

A later ceasefire agreement created a demilitarized buffer zone between the two countries’ territories, prohibiting military presence or activity from either side in the area. UN peacekeepers have patrolled the area since 1974.  Halevi said the military is monitoring the Syrian border to make sure that ‘local factions do not direct actions towards us,’ adding that Israel is not intervening in the events in Syria.

The IDF said it is reinforcing its deployment along the border with Syria. Halevi said if ‘confusion’ arises and actions are directed toward Israel by ‘local factions’ taking control of parts of Syria, Israel has a strong ‘offensive response.’

It had also warned residents of five southern Syria communities to stay home for their safety. The restrictions on four Golan Heights communities were later lifted.

Meanwhile, Israel has also launched strikes on weapons depots in the country’s east on Sunday, a war monitor said.

‘Israel has conducted airstrikes on weapon depots and positions that belonged to the defunct regime and Iran-backed groups in the eastern Deir Ezzor province,’ Rami Abdel Rahman who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

He reported ‘increased Israeli strikes’ on such targets since al-Assad fled the country.

The strikes were launched to prevent Syrian government military assets from falling into the hands of rebel forces, two Israeli officials anonymously told the New York Times.

The targets reportedly included small stockpiles of chemical weapons like mustard gas and VX gas as well as air defence missile vehicles.

On Sunday, the sound of celebratory gunfire echoed through the streets of Damascus after HTS rebels declared: ‘The future is ours.’

Reading from a sheet of paper, a presenter on Syria TV announced: ‘In the name of Allah, for the proud people of our nation, the sun of freedom has risen.

‘The time has come to lift the oppression and dispel the darkness overshadowing our beloved country. We are the rightful owners and this land belongs to us. We, the Syrian people of all sects, colours and walks of life, stand united, hand in hand, looking forward to a brighter tomorrow – a future where injustice and tyranny are eradicated.’

Rebels escorted Syrian prime minister Muhammad Razi al-Jalali out of his office to the Four Seasons Hotel in a move intended to symbolise the transfer of power and removal of the Assad regime.

Statues of Assad and his father Hafez were vandalised and their homes were looted. There were also reports of looting at banks in the capital.

One woman in Damascus said: ‘I have never felt this happy in my whole life. You can never describe this feeling – you have to be here.’

However, Western leaders were only cautiously optimistic because HTS is an offshoot of Al Qaeda and a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK and US.

Its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has sought to portray himself as a moderate and tolerant leader who cut ties with Al Qaeda in 2016, but his long-term goals remain unclear.

Geir Pedersen, the United Nations envoy to Syria, called the ousting of Assad ‘a watershed moment’ for the country marred by nearly 14 years of civil war. But he warned: ‘What is important is that we are able to find a political way out of this.

‘That political way needs to be very different from what it has been before. There are lots of wounds that need to be healed.’

Mr Biden said the fall of Assad was ‘a fundamental act of justice, a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria’. But he added: ‘It’s also a moment of considerable risk of uncertainty as we turn to the question of what comes next. The United States will do whatever it takes to support [the people of Syria].

 ‘We will remain vigilant. Make no mistake, some of the groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.’

Sir Keir said the UK welcomed the fall of Assad’s ‘barbaric regime’ and called for the restoration of peace and stability. He added: ‘The developments in Syria are unprecedented, and we are speaking to our partners in the region and monitoring the situation closely.

‘The Syrian people have suffered under Assad’s barbaric regime for too long and we welcome his departure. Our focus is now on ensuring a political solution prevails, and peace and stability is restored.

‘We call on all sides to protect civilians and minorities, and ensure essential aid can reach the most vulnerable in the coming hours and days.’ 

Iran has spent billions keeping Assad in power over the years, allowing it to use Syria as a transit route for weapons and ammunition to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Last night, this chain appeared to have been broken. US President-elect Donald Trump said Russia and Iran had been unwilling to help the despot because they are ‘in a weakened state right now’.

He urged Russian president Vladimir Putin to prevent his country’s further decline by negotiating a ceasefire with Ukraine. ‘Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse,’ Mr Trump wrote. ‘I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!’

In a message posted before Damascus had fallen, Mr Trump insisted that the US should not get involved in the crisis, writing: ‘Syria is a mess, but is not our friend.’

Moscow officials said Assad had ‘decided to resign from the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power’. It added: ‘Russia did not participate in these negotiations.

‘We appeal to all parties involved with a strong call to renounce the use of violence and resolve all governance issues through political means.’ The Russian foreign ministry urged the rebels to ‘establish an inclusive political process’ under the supervision of the United Nations.

Syrians who fled the country during Assad’s dictatorship celebrated around the world last night.

Refugees in Istanbul partied in the streets and tore down the flag at the Syrian consulate. Traffic built up at the Lebanon-Syria border as many tried to return home.

HTS’s offensive, which captured Syria’s three biggest cities in the space of a week, was supported by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, formerly known as the Free Syrian Army.

Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates’ most senior diplomat, insisted he did not know Assad’s whereabouts – but dismissed the detail as ‘a footnote in history’.

Speaking in Bahrain, Mr Gargash said: ‘The collapse of [Assad’s] regime is due to a major political failure. He didn’t use the lifeline that was thrown to him by various Arab countries, including the UAE.

‘There is a real concern about

Syria holding itself as a sovereign country. Where Assad goes is a

footnote in history. The main concern for us is really the territorial integrity of Syria.’

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said Assad had ‘never asked’ for Tehran’s aid against the rebels.