Amid toppling of Assad, Kurds in Syria appeal to Israel for help

This comes as the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was crumbling, and the country was taken over by Islamist rebels. 

By ANNA BARSKY DECEMBER 9, 2024 10:00

Iraqi Kurds wave flags of Iraqi Kurdistan during a demonstration (photo credit: SAFIN HAMED / AFP)

Representatives of the Syrian Kurds have recently appealed to Israeli officials via various communications channels seeking assistance and protection.

This comes as the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was crumbling, and the country was taken over by Islamist rebels. 

Earlier today, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels announced that they had begun attacking Kurdish forces in the Manbij area in northern Syria, northeast of Aleppo.

Israel, which views the Kurdish community as a friendly and Western-oriented entity, has been working with Western countries since the beginning of the current campaign to ensure the security of the Kurds within the emerging new reality in Syria.

The current situation, including the victory of Sunni jihadists and the intensification of the civil war, creates security and political uncertainty.

Rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham drive along a street in al-Rashideen, Aleppo province, Syria November 29, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano)

Sa'ar in discussion with counterparts worldwide

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has recently engaged in a series of discussions with his European and American counterparts, raising the Kurdish issue and emphasizing the necessity of supporting them.

Last week, Sa'ar participated in the foreign ministers' conference in Malta, during which he met, among others, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while on Sunday evening, Sa'ar spoke with his British counterpart, David Lammy.

The message conveyed by Sa'ar, both in meetings in Malta and in his discussion with Lammy, was that the international community must ensure the safety of the Kurds against attacks by extremist Islamists.