Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime could lead to a hostage swap deal in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports.

In a conversation with representatives of the families of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu alleged that the fall of Assad’s regime “was partially a result of Israel’s decisive operations against Hezbollah and Hamas”, according to The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

He said the fall of Assad “could open the door to new opportunities to strengthen a deal for the return of the hostages from Gaza”.