Whoever follows former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's way will end up like him, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday while visiting an IDF naval base, Israeli media reported.
"Israel will not allow an extremist Islamic terrorist entity to threaten its borders and citizens," Katz said, further noting he had "instructed the IDF to establish a sterile defense zone free of weapons and terrorist threats in southern Syria, without a permanent Israeli presence, in order to prevent the entrenchment and organization of terrorism in Syria."