Damascus [Syria], December 8 (ANI): Amid a rebel offensive, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has flown out of Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, Reuters reported.
The news agency cited two senior army officers, whom it did not name as rebels Syrian groups said they entered the capital, Damascus, in the early hours today.
The development comes hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, to the north of the country.
The head of Syria’s main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now “without Bashar al-Assad” according to Reuters.
AlJazeera reported that Syrian rebels have said they have captured Damascus.
“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement. “We declare Damascus free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” they said.
The rebels earlier claimed to have entered the capital and taken control of the notorious Saydnaya Military Prison north of Damascus, CNN reported.
CNN cited the Military Operations Command’s post on Telegram which said, “We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad.” The statement added, “To the displaced all over the world, a free Syria awaits you.”
The civil war in the country that had remained dormant for a few years has resurfaced and within a the span of a few weeks, the Syrian rebel groups have taken over several key cities like Aleppo, Homs and Daraa.
The pro-government Sham FM radio station reported that militants had infiltrated the cities of al-Rastan and Tell Bisa in Homs’ northern part.
Syria’s defence ministry, however has refuted reports about troops withdrawal from Homs.
“Reports disseminated in some media outlets and resources linked with terrorist organizations about the withdrawal of any units of our armed forces from the city of Homs and its neighbourhoods are not true,” it said in a statement posted on its social media page.
Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said he does not plan on leaving his home as he aims to ensure that public institutions continue to function.
“I urge all to think rationally and to think about they country,” al-Jalali said. “We extend our hand to the opposition who have extended their hand and asserted that they will not harm anyone who belongs to this country,” he was cited as saying by Al Jazeera.
Videos posted online, which Al Jazeera said it had verified, show several people in the Ummayad Square, standing on an abandoned military tank and singing in celebration.
On December 5, the Syrian army command stated that militants had infiltrated several neighbourhoods in the city of Hama. According to its statement, government forces were redeployed outside the city.
On December 7, the Syrian Defence Ministry announced that military units operating in the south of the country were being regrouped in accordance with the military’s strategic plan.
Iran envoy to Beirut on Saturday said that the Syria developments pose a “threat” to entire region, the IRNA news agency reported.
Syrian government is engaged in fighting with terrorist groups that launched an offensive on November 27 from their stronghold in the western province of Idlib, it reported.
The Wall Street Journal had reported yesterday that Tehran warned Syrian President Bashar Assad last week that its assistance to his government in the fight against militant armed groups would be reduced,
According to the sources, Iran withdrew its senior officers stationed in eastern Syria. The newspaper also noted that the Iranian side accused the Syrian troops of retreating.
According to the Washington Post, the rebel advances are being led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a faction once associated with Al-Qaeda. A newly announced rebel faction, the Southern Operations Room, said Saturday its forces had taken the southern city of Daraa.
Meanwhile, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt Iraq, Russia, Turkey, and Iran expressed their support for the cessation of hostilities in Syria to pave the way for the launch of a political process, according to a joint statement issued following their meeting on the Syrian crisis in Doha.
Russia urged its citizens to leave Syria “on commercial flights through existing airports.” (ANI)
Russia grants asylum to Assad and family, calls for UN-mediated talks
Moscow [Russia], December 9 (ANI): Following the political crisis in Syria, Russia has granted asylum to Bashar al-Assad and his family, TASS reported citing a Kremlin source.
The situation in Syria remains a focal point for all the neighbouring nations after Syrian rebels on Sunday entered the capital Damascus, forcing Assad to flee, ending his over two-decade rule in the country.
The source confirmed that Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and Russia has granted asylum for them, being driven by “humanitarian considerations.”
“Russia has always spoken in favour of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. We insist that the UN-mediated talks be resumed,” the source said, reported the Russian news agency.
“Russian officials are in touch with representatives of armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on the Syrian territory,” the source added, TASS reported
Notably, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday expressed extreme concern over the events unfolding in Syria and appealed to all parties involved in the negotiations with a strong call to renounce violence and resolve all issues by political means.
Further, the ministry had stated that Bashar al-Assad has stepped down and left the country giving instructions to transfer power peacefully.
“We are following the dramatic events in Syria with extreme concern. As a result of negotiations between B Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict in the SAR, he decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully. Russia did not participate in these negotiations. At the same time, we appeal to all parties involved with a strong call to renounce the use of violence and resolve all governance issues by political means,” Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“In this regard, the Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition. We call for respect for the opinions of all ethno-confessional forces of Syrian society, and support efforts to establish an inclusive political process based on the unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” the statement added.
Notably, the civil war in the country that had remained dormant for a few years resurfaced and within a span of a few weeks, the Syrian rebel groups took over several key cities like Aleppo, Homs and Daraa, before seizing control of the Damascus unopposed on Sunday, ending the Assad family’s nearly six decades of autocratic rule.
The development came hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria‘s third-largest city, Homs, to the north of the country.
‘Historic day for Middle East’: Netanyahu hails collapse of Assad regime in Syria
Tel Aviv [Israel], December 8 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad‘s two-decade-long regime in Syria, calling it a “historic day” for the Middle East region.
Netanyahu further acknowledged that while the collapse presents great opportunities, it also poses significant dangers. He extended a ‘hand of peace’ for all beyond Israeli borders to live in peace with Israel.
Netanyahu shared a video on X and stated, “This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers. We send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the Christians, and to the Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel.”
Following the Syrian Army abandoning its positions, Netanyahu said that he had ordered the Israeli Army to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel.
“This collapse is a direct result of our forceful action against Hezbollah and Iran, Assad’s main supporters. It set off a chain reaction of all those who want to free themselves from this tyranny and its suppression. But it also means we have to take action against possible threats. One of them is the collapse of the Separation of Forces agreement from 1974 between Israel and Syria. This agreement held for 50 years. Last night it collapsed,” he said.
“The Syrian army abandoned its positions. We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found. We’re going to follow events very carefully. If we can establish neighbourly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that’s our desire. But if we do not, we’ll do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel,” he added.
Notably, the situation in Syria remains a focal point for all the other nations after Syrian rebels on Sunday entered Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee for an unknown destination, ending his over two-decade rule in the country.
The development came hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, to the north of the country.
The head of Syria’s main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now “without Bashar al-Assad” according to Reuters.
This came after Syrian rebels claimed capturing Damascus.”The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement.
The civil war in the country that had remained dormant for a few years has resurfaced and within a span of a few weeks, the Syrian rebel groups have taken over several key cities like Aleppo, Homs and Daraa. (ANI)
