Israel struck the Syrian Scientific Research Center (SSRC) in Damascus on Sunday afternoon.

According to Western media reports, Assad was carrying out in the past chemical weapons and ballistic missile programs at the Research Center.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had hailed the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, calling it a “historic day”, which he attributed to the strikes his army had delivered on Damascus supporters, Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Visiting an area near the Syrian border, Netanyahu said he had ordered the Israeli army to seize territory in the neutral zone to ensure Israel’s security. “We will not allow any hostile force to settle on our borders,” he said.

Defense Minister Israel Kats said the decision to deploy military forces in the UN-controlled neutral zone was taken to protect Israeli communities in the Golan Heights.