DAMASCUS, December 10 ------ Syrians poured into streets in celebration after a lightning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family's 50 years of iron rule. Russian state news agencies reported that President Bashar Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were given asylum. Russia said Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully.
The swiftly moving events raised questions about the future of the country and the wider region. "Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," US President Joe Biden said, crediting action by the US and its allies for weakening Syria's backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He called the fall of Assad a "fundamental act of justice" but also a "moment of risk and uncertainty" and said rebel groups are "saying the right things now," but the US would assess their actions. Russia requested an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss Syria, according to Dmitry Polyansky, its deputy ambassador to the UN, in a post on Telegram.
The arrival of Assad and his family in Moscow was reported by Russian agencies Tass and RIA, citing an unidentified source at the Kremlin. A spokesman there didn't immediately respond to questions. RIA also said Syrian insurgents had guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria. Earlier, Russia said Assad left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully.
The leader of Syria's biggest rebel faction, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is poised to chart the country's future. The former al-Qaida commander cut ties with the group years ago and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance. His Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, is considered a terrorist organization by the US and the UN. In his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, al-Golani visited the Umayyad Mosque and described Assad's fall as "a victory to the Islamic nation." Calling himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre, he said Assad had made Syria "a farm for Iran's greed."
The rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling US-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in remote areas. Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement saying Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been released. They urged people to preserve the institutions of "the free Syrian state" and announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. An online video purported to show rebels freeing dozens of women at the notorious Saydnaya prison, where rights groups said thousands were tortured and killed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the overthrow of Assad was a "historic day in the... Middle East" and the fall of a "central link in Iran's axis of evil." The UN envoy for Syria said the country was at "a watershed moment." Turkey, which has historically backed the opposition, called for a "smooth transition." Iran said it expected "friendly" ties with Syria to continue, even as its embassy in Damascus was vandalized. Since the start of the rebel offensive, at least 910 people have been killed, mostly combatants but also including 138 civilians. Syria's war has killed more than 500,000 people and forced half of the population to flee their homes. Millions fled abroad.
Source: manilatimes.net
Comments