Syria’s Damascus Hours after a spectacular rebel advance took over Damascus and put an end to his family’s 50 years of oppressive rule, Russian media reported Sunday that ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad had fled to Moscow and been granted asylum by his old friend.
In images reminiscent of the early days of the Arab Spring revolt, before a violent crackdown and the emergence of an insurgency sank the nation into a nearly 14-year civil war, thousands of Syrians poured into streets resonating with joyous gunfire and waved the revolutionary flag.
The rapidly unfolding events sparked concerns for the nation’s and the region’s future.
President Joe Biden claimed that his strategy had changed the balance of power in the Middle East and credited the United States and its allies with undermining Syria’s supporters, Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah. He stated that while opposition organizations are saying the right things right now, the United States will evaluate their actions. He called the overthrow of Assad a fundamental act of justice but also a time of peril and uncertainty.
Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the U.N., wrote on Telegram that Russia had asked for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss Syria.
Russian media outlets Tass and RIA reported that Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow, citing an unnamed Kremlin source. Questions weren’t immediately answered by a representative there. The protection of Russian military installations and diplomatic missions in Syria has been assured by Syrian rebels, according to RIA.
Russia had earlier claimed that Assad had instructed a peaceful handover of power and that he had left Syria following talks with opposition groups.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the head of Syria’s largest rebel group, is in a position to shape the future of his nation. The former al-Qaida leader claims to support religious tolerance and pluralism and severed his connections with the organization years ago. The United States and the United Nations consider the HisHayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, to be a terrorist organization.
Al-Golani attended the Umayyad Mosque in his first public appearance since fighters moved into the suburbs of Damascus on Saturday. He called Assad’s downfall a success for the Islamic country. He claimed that Assad had turned Syria into a plantation for Iran’s avarice, referring to himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, rather than his alias.
In a nation torn apart by conflict and divided among armed groups, the rebels must confront the difficult challenge of mending savage divisions. In the north, U.S.-allied Kurdish troops are engaged in combat with opposition militants backed by Turkey, while the Islamic State group remains active in isolated regions.
A rebel statement announcing the removal of Assad and the liberation of all prisoners was shown on Syrian state television. They declared a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. and asked citizens to protect the institutions of the free Syrian state.
An internet video allegedly depicts rebels releasing scores of women from the infamous Saydnaya prison, where human rights organizations claim thousands were murdered and tortured. Among them was at least one tiny toddler.
One relative, Bassam Masr, stated, “This happiness will not be complete until I can see my son out of prison and know where he is.” I’ve spent the last two hours looking for him. He has spent 13 years in custody.
In an attempt to calm religious and ethnic minorities, rebel commander Anas Salkhadi made an appearance on state television, declaring that Syria is for everyone, without exception. Syria belongs to all sects, including Sunnis, Alawites, and Druze.
He went on to say, “We will not treat people the way the Assad family did.”
The capital’s festivities
People in Damascus celebrated in squares and prayed in mosques, proclaiming that God is wonderful. People honked their automobile horns and screamed anti-Assad slogans. Adolescent guys fired into the air after picking up firearms that appeared to have been abandoned by security personnel.
Police and soldiers abandoned their stations, and the Defense Ministry was looted. Families passed Assad’s damaged pictures as they strolled inside the presidential residence. Shops were shuttered and other areas of the capital were deserted.
It like a dream. Abu Laith, an opposition fighter, stated, “I need someone to wake me up.” He also added that the rebels were greeted with love in Damascus.
Judge Khitam Haddad claimed that he and his colleagues were safeguarding documents inside the Justice Ministry, where rebels were on guard. Residents gathered outside to inquire about family members who vanished under Assad.
One woman, who only gave her first name, Heba, claimed that the rebels had felt the suffering of the populace. She was concerned that the rebels, many of whom seemed to be minors, might carry out retaliatory executions.
Al-Watan, Syria’s traditionally pro-government newspaper, referred to it as a “new page for Syria.” We give thanks to God that there isn’t more bloodshed. It further stated that media professionals shouldn’t be held accountable for disseminating previous directives from the government.
The Alawite sect, which made up the majority of Assad’s support, issued a statement urging young Syrians to remain composed, sensible, and cautious and to avoid getting involved in issues that threaten our nation’s unity.
The Sunni Muslim majority in Syria, which also has sizeable Druze, Christian, and Kurdish groups, is the primary source of the insurgents. A Kurdish guy in the northeastern city of Qamishli used his sneaker to slam a statue of the late leader Hafez Assad.
Demands a smooth transition
As the Syrian army disintegrated, the towns of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs fell in a matter of days, marking the biggest advances in recent memory since November 27. Military uniforms and burnt armored vehicles littered the road from the Lebanese border to Damascus.
As they struggled with other crises, Assad’s vital allies—Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah—left him.
Iran and its allies, who were already weakened by the fight with Israel, suffered a serious setback with the fall of Assad’s regime. Iran stated that Syrians should make their own decisions about their future free from international interference that is damaging and coercive. After seemingly being abandoned, the Iranian Embassy in Damascus was looted.
Iran’s ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, stated that aiding the Syrian government was almost impossible after it acknowledged the insurgents’ military dominance. Speaking from an unidentified location, he told Iranian state media that Syria’s government made the decision on Saturday night to transfer power in a peaceful manner.
“It was a good decision to let go when the army and the people could not resist to prevent bloodshed and destruction,” Akbari added, acknowledging that several of his colleagues departed Syria before morning.
Speaking on state television, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed fears about the potential for civil war, Syria’s fragmentation, its complete collapse, and its transformation into a haven for terrorists.
According to Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali, the government was prepared to give the opposition a hand and hand over its operations to a transitional administration. Armed men were seen bringing him from his office to a hotel in a footage posted on Syrian rebel media.
In order to guarantee a smooth political transition, Geir Pedersen, the U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, has urged for immediate negotiations in Geneva.
An emergency conference of foreign ministers and senior officials from eight nations with stakes in Syria, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Turkey, was held late Saturday in the Gulf republic of Qatar, a crucial regional mediator.
The primary priority is stability and a safe transition, according to Majed al-Ansari, spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, who also stated that they agreed on the necessity of involving all parties on the ground, including the HTS.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces had taken control of a 1974-established buffer zone in the Golan Heights, claiming that it was done to safeguard Israeli citizens following the withdrawal of Syrian forces. Later, Israel’s military did not answer questions and advised citizens of five localities in southern Syria to remain at home for their safety.
During the 1967 Mideast War, Israel took control of the Golan and subsequently annexed it. It is considered occupied by the international community, with the exception of the United States, and the Arab League denounced on Sunday what it described as Israel’s attempts to use the overthrow of Assad to expand its territory.
— By Sarah El Deeb, Abby Sewell, and Abdulrahman Shaheen, Associated Press
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