JERUSALEM 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Sunday that Israel does not intend to support any party in the ongoing conflict in Syria. 

During his participation in a security conference organized by the daily Israel Hayom, Sa’ar stated: “Israel is not a direct party to the military operations but is closely monitoring developments in the Syrian scene.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government is closely following developments in Syria and is determined to protect what he claimed as “our vital interests.”

On Nov. 27, clashes erupted between Syrian armed opposition factions and forces of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the western countryside of Aleppo (northeast). The opposition factions later took control of Aleppo city, followed by the full capture of Idlib province on Saturday.

Meanwhile, on Sunday evening, the Syrian National Army seized control of the city center of Tal Rifaat as part of an operation launched against the terrorist organization PKK/YPG.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​​​​​​​​