Assad has left Damascus, says Russia, as Syrian army declares end of his rule

Published

6 months ago

December 8, 2024

admin

The Syrian government has fallen after a lightning offensive by anti-regime forces across the country – ending President Bashar al Assad’s 24-year rule.

Mr Assad has left office and the country after giving orders for there to be a peaceful transfer of power, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Russia was not involved in the talks surrounding his departure, the ministry said, but has been in touch with opposition groups – and urged all sides to refrain from violence.

The leader’s whereabouts now – and those of his wife Asma and their two children – remain unknown.

Footage circulating on social media as the news emerged showed families ransacking presidential palaces in Damascus, with some taking selfies in the grand settings.

Read more: Latest updates from Syria

Tehran, another of Mr Assad’s allies, said it would continue to closely monitor developments in Syria and the region.

The fate of the country lies in the hands of the Syrian people and should be pursued without foreign imposition or destructive intervention, Iran’s foreign ministry said.

Syrian rebels, made up of various opposition groups, said they were working to transition power to a new governing body with full executive powers.

“The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people,” the coalition said in a statement, describing events as a new birth for “great Syria”.

Later, in a post on the social media platform X, it added it aimed to build strategic partnerships within the region and the world.

Syria’s prime minister, who remains in the country, said he was ready to co-operate and offered a peaceful transition.

“I am here in my home,” Mohammed Ghazi al Jalali said. “I have not left it and do not intend to leave, except in a peaceful manner that ensures the continued functioning of public institutions and state facilities, promoting security and reassurance for our fellow citizens.”

Thousands celebrating in the streets

Thousands of Syrians, in cars and on foot, gathered in a main square in the capital Damascus chanting for freedom.

Saturday’s advances on the capital marked the first time the rebels have reached the outskirts of the city since 2018, when government forces recaptured the area after a years-long siege.

In the key city of Homs – which rebel fighters seized after just a day of fighting – thousands more filled the streets after the army withdrew, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free”, and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al Assad”.

The rebels have also claimed Deir el Zor in the east, and Suweida, Quneitra and Deraa in the south.

Mr Assad and his forces had faced a battle on three fronts – Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) from the north, the Southern Front, and a Kurdish group in the east.

HTS leader Abu Mohammed al Jolani, who led the insurgency, declared “the future is ours” in a statement read out on Syrian state TV.

He said there was “no room for turning back” and his group was “determined” to continue on the path it started in 2011.

Footage circulating on social media showed families ransacking presidential palaces in Damascus and taking selfies in the grand settings.

Soldiers were reported to have deserted their posts and changed into civilian clothes as the rebels closed in.

Mohammed Amer al Oulabi, 44, was one of the many residents celebrating on the streets.

“From Idlib to Damascus, it only took them (the opposition forces) a few days, thank God. May God bless them, the heroic lions who made us proud,” he said.

Rebels announced a curfew starting from 4pm (1pm UK time) on Sunday until 5am on Monday.

The country’s international airport in Damascus was abandoned and rebels said they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and freed inmates.

Iran’s embassy was also stormed by Syrian rebels, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.

In a sign of perhaps what was to come – protesters on Saturday brought down a statue of the president’s late father in a main square in a suburb a few miles from the centre of the capital.

Mr Assad had relied on his main allies, Russia and Iran, to counter insurgencies during his decades in power.

But with Russia now busy with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Iran’s proxies Hezbollah and Hamas embroiled in a conflict with Israel, Syria’s army was left exposed.

The fall of Mr Assad’s regime marks a turning point for Syria after 13 years of civil conflict.

Towns and cities have been reduced to rubble, hundreds of thousands of people have died, and millions have been forced abroad as refugees.

It’s a new dawn – but there are dark clouds on the horizon

It’s over.

Fifty-four years of brutal Assad dynasty rule has come to an end. The streets of Damascus have erupted in celebration, President Assad has fled the country and the capital has fallen.

What comes next is of great concern. Syria is deeply divided, geographically and socially. This is a moment of huge peril.

Once the euphoria cools there will be deep hatred and anger towards former Assad loyalists after decades of murderous rule. Containing that will be difficult.

Who will govern Syria is unknown. Multiple rebel groups control different parts of the country and, we assume, they will all want their slice of power. That is a recipe for further civil war unless this can be managed in an orderly way.

Syria’s prime minister, Mohammed Ghazi al Jalali, has remained in Damascus and offered a peaceful transition. How he is treated will be a good indicator.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main group that started this rebellion with the capture of Aleppo, was once affiliated with Al Qaeda. It has renounced those links but remain a proscribed terror organisation by the US and others.

Russia and Iran, Assad’s two main state sponsors, abandoned him when his fate seemed inevitable. It’s unlikely they will abandon Syria quite so quickly though. Moscow has key military bases on the Mediterranean coast which opens up a part of the world to them – giving these up would be a huge strategic blow.

To Iran, Syria was a centrepiece in its axis of resistance, the funnel through which weapons were channelled to Hezbollah and vital territory in its arc of influence. But Assad and Hezbollah have now both collapsed, and Iran’s network of Shia influence is in tatters.

It’s a new dawn for Syria, but there are dark clouds on the horizon.

Trump: Syria is ‘not our friend’

The White House said US President Joe Biden and his team were monitoring the “extraordinary events” in touch with regional partners.

Daniel Shapiro, from the US Department of Defense, said they would continue to maintain their presence in eastern Syria “solely to ensure the enduring defeat” of the Islamic State.

President-elect Donald Trump said the US should not get involved in the conflict.

“Syria is a mess,” he posted on his social media site Truth Social, adding the country is “not our friend”.

In a fresh post this morning, he added: “Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer.

“Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the ousting of Mr Assad as a “historic day”.

On a visit to the area near the border with Syria, he said he had ordered Israeli forces to seize areas in the buffer zone, adding: “We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border”.

The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, urged all Syrians to prioritise dialogue, unity, and respect for international humanitarian law and human rights as they seek to rebuild their society.

British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips she “welcomed” news of Assad’s regime falling, adding: “He wasn’t exactly good to the Syrian people.”

Ms Rayner said: “We want to see a political resolution so that we can get that stability for Syrians and make sure that they have their infrastructure so that they have a political government there that is working in the interest of the Syrian people.”

Asked for her message to UK citizens in Syria, Ms Rayner said the foreign secretary was “very clear” that they should leave.

“We’ve had a plan to ensure that people were evacuated ahead of what’s happened over the weekend and we continue to support our UK nationals,” she added.

World

Iran not complying with nuclear obligations for first time in almost 20 years, says UN watchdog

Published

1 hour ago

June 12, 2025

admin

Iran not complying with nuclear obligations for first time in almost 20 years, says UN watchdog

The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors has found that Iran is not complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years.

It comes as sources have told US media that Israel is considering taking military action against Iran in the coming days – without American support.

Iran said it has “always adhered” to the safeguard obligations laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Tehran said it “has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,” and said it would launch a new enrichment site “in a secure location”.

“Other measures are also being planned and will be announced subsequently,” Iran said.

The reports come as US President Donald Trump is said to be in advanced discussions with Iran about a diplomatic deal to curtail the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear programme.

However Mr Trump told the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast that he was “getting more and more less confident about” an agreement.

Iran will not abandon what it views as its right to enrich uranium – contrary to US demands, a senior Iranian official said on Thursday.

Last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that abandoning such enrichment was “100%” against the country’s interests.

Israel is said to have become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran, particularly with reports that a deal between the US and Iran could include provisions about uranium enrichment. Israel views those provisions as unacceptable.

Such a strike would be a dramatic break with the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

With tensions in the region simmering as the nuclear discussions unfold and with the potential for unrest, the US State Department ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

America has also authorised – rather than ordered – the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait

Israel has made no secret of its assessment that Iran is politically and militarily weak, and there has rarely been a better moment to strike its nuclear facilities.

So far, pressure from the US has stopped them acting.

But nuclear talks between Iran and the US are faltering, President Trump is no longer confident a deal can be reached, and Israel has said it is ready to strike if the talks collapse. That moment could be nearing.

A further round of negotiations is set to take place in Oman this weekend. If Iran remains insistent that it must retain enriched uranium, then US patience might run out.

Although the threat of Israeli strikes should be taken seriously, the decision to partially evacuate the US embassy in Baghdad and permit the voluntary departure of other US government dependents in the region, could be a negotiating tactic. A way of upping the stakes.

Sources I’ve spoken to around the region are calm, for now.

But for Israel, the window to act could be closing. Its strikes on the Iran in October 2024 reportedly eliminated much of the country’s air defences. The more time that passes the more opportunity Iran has to rebuild, and that will be in the mind of Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli commanders as their weigh their options.

World

Israel considering military action against Iran in days without US support – reports

Published

4 hours ago

June 12, 2025

admin

Israel considering military action against Iran in days without US support - reports

Israel is considering taking military action against Iran in the coming days – without American support, sources have told US media.

The reports come as US President Donald Trump is said to be in advanced discussions with Iran about a diplomatic deal to curtail the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear programme.

Israel is said to have become more serious about a unilateral strike on Iran as the negotiations between Washington and Tehran appear closer to a preliminary or framework agreement that includes provisions about uranium enrichment.

Israel views those provisions as unacceptable.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is therefore considering a strike on Iran, a Capitol Hill aide and other sources familiar with the matter have told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.

An Israeli strike on Iran would be a dramatic break with the Trump administration which has argued against such a move.

The prospect of a new front in the conflict in the Middle East has prompted the Trump administration to order all embassies within striking distance of Iranian missiles, aircraft and other assets, to send cables with assessments about the potential threat to Americans and US infrastructure, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The White House has not yet briefed senior politicians on the situation, according to a US official.

The reports have emerged after the US State Department said it had ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, due to the potential for regional unrest.

It did not mention any possible attack by Israel on Iran when it announced the move.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “The State Department regularly reviews American personnel abroad, and this decision was made as a result of a recent review.”

It comes as the US is also authorising the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait – giving the staff a choice as to whether to leave those countries.

An Iraqi government source told the country’s state news agency that Baghdad has not recorded any security indication that calls for the evacuation.

There was already limited staffing in the US embassy in Baghdad and the order will not affect a large number of personnel.

Meanwhile, the military dependents in Bahrain and Kuwait will have the option of leaving those countries at government expense and with government assistance.

Asked why the US personnel are being moved out of the Middle East, Mr Trump said on Wednesday evening: “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place and we’ll see what happens.”

When asked if there is anything that can be done to reduce tensions in the region, the US president said: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, very simple, they can’t have a nuclear weapon, we’re not going to allow that.”

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Oman capital Muscat on Sunday to discuss the Iranian response to a recent US proposal, according to American news site Axios, which cited a US official.

The US and Iran have been engaged in talks aimed at limiting Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions America has imposed on the country.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful.

Tehran and Washington tensions

Mr Trump, who has previously said Israel or America could carry out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations failed, has given a less-than-optimistic view about reaching a deal with Iran.

He told the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast that he was “getting more and more less confident about” a deal.

“They seem to be delaying, and I think that’s a shame. I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them,” he said in the interview released on Wednesday.

Iran’s mission to the UN posted on the X social media platform that “threats of ‘overwhelming force’ won’t change facts”.

“Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability,” the Iranian mission wrote on Wednesday.

World

Controversial aid distributer claims Hamas has carried out deadly attack on bus carrying Palestinians

Published

7 hours ago

June 12, 2025

admin

Controversial aid distributer claims Hamas has carried out deadly attack on bus carrying Palestinians

The controversial US and Israeli-backed aid distributor in Gaza has accused Hamas of a deadly attack on a bus carrying Palestinians working with the organisation.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said at least five aid workers were killed and it fears some team members “may have been taken hostage”.

The aid organisation also said multiple people were injured in the alleged attack.

In a statement, the GHF has said the bus was carrying more than two dozen people working with the organisation when it was targeted at 10pm Gaza time (8pm UK time) on Wednesday.

The GHF said those in the bus were “local Palestinians” working with the organisation to “deliver critical aid”.

“At the time of the attack, our team was en route to one of our distribution centres in the area west of Khan Younis”, the GHF added.

It continued in its statement: “We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage.

“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms. These were aid workers.”

The GHF also said in its statement that Hamas has in recent days been threatening members of the organisation, including aid workers, and civilians who have been receiving the aid.

The organisation said it holds Hamas fully responsible for “taking the lives of our dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation’s sites in central and southern Gaza”.

“Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people,” the GHF said.

“We will release additional information once it becomes available. Despite this heinous attack, we will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza.”

The alleged attack came hours after health officials in Gaza said at least 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire at a GHF site close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City.

Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site.

Gaza’s health ministry said earlier this week that around 160 people have been killed in shootings near aid sites run by the GHF since they began distributing aid on 26 May.

However, the GHF has said there has been no violence in or around the distribution centres themselves.

Why is the aid system controversial?

Israel and the US have said the GHF system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance.

Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred.

The foundation’s distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.

UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.

Jake Wood, a former US marine, resigned as head of the GHF in May before it began distributing aid in Gaza over concerns about is independence.

Mr Wood said the foundation cannot adhere to the “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon”.