By The NewYorkBudgets | Dec 07, 2024
President Bashar al-Assad’s immediate location was not initially clear after rebels took control of Syria’s capital. Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not provide details on where he had gone, saying only that he had resigned and left the country.
Rebellion in Syria marks collapse of “Iran’s artifice” across the Middle East: US official
by David Peterson | 01:57pm
One US official told CNN that events in Syria mark the collapse of “Iran’s artifice” across the Middle East.
The potential toppling of the Iran-backed Assad would follow the decimation of key Tehran proxies Hezbollah and Hamas in conflicts with Israel over the past 14 months.
US President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring” developments in Syria, according to a statement.
“President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners,” National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett wrote on X.
Rebel fighters seen on the grounds of the Syrian presidential palace
Rebel fighters could be seen on the grounds of the Syrian presidential palace on Sunday.
Footage verified by CNN showed fighters by a gate house located on the southern edge of the palace grounds.
The men can be seeing firing guns in the air in celebration on the otherwise deserted entrance area.
“We are ready to cooperate with any leadership the people choose,” Syrian prime minister says
by Chandra Manji | 01:49pm
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said the government stands ready “to cooperate with any leadership the people choose,” in a recorded message on Sunday morning.
“We are ready to cooperate with any leadership the people choose, offering all possible support to ensure a smooth and systematic transition of government functions, preserving state facilities,” he said.
Ghazi al-Jalali called on Syrians to protect public facilities, saying they belonged to all citizens.
“I am here in my home, did not leave and do not intend to leave it except in a peaceful manner to ensure the continuing operation of public institutions, state facilities, and to broadcast safety and security for all citizens.”
“We extend our hands to every Syrian citizen who is concerned about safeguarding this nation’s assets… I urge all citizens not to harm any public property because, ultimately, it belongs to them.”
The militant leader of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), the main group driving the country’s armed opposition, released a statement calling on rebel forces to leave state institutions unharmed.
“To all military forces in the city of Damascus, it is strictly forbidden to approach public institutions, which will remain under the supervision of the former Prime Minister until they are officially handed over, and it is also forbidden to fire bullets into the air,” Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, wrote on telegram.
On Thursday, Jolani projected a different vision for the war-torn country in an interview with CNN. In a sign of his attempted rebranding, he also publicly used his real name for the first time – Ahmed al-Sharaa – instead of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the nom de guerre by which he is widely known.
Syria rebels move to capture state media offices in Damascus: statement
by Chandra Manji | 01:41pm
Syrian rebels are moving to capture state media offices in Damascus, according to a statement on Sunday morning.
“The Military Operations Command is moving to seize control of the Radio and Television Building to broadcast the victory announcement over Assad,” the statement said.
Earlier in the evening the rebel alliance posted a message to its official Telegram account claiming its “forces began entering the capital.”
A resident of the Barzeh neighborhood of Damascus told CNN that rebels were in the area and clashes were taking place.
Rebels claim to have control of notorious prison near Damascus
Syrian rebels fighting against the government of Bashar al-Assad claim they have taken control of the notorious Saydnaya Military Prison north of Damascus, according to a statement on Sunday.
“We broke the news to the Syrian people of liberating our prisoners and unchaining them, and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Saydnaya Prison,” the statement said.
Amnesty International dubbed Saydnaya “the human slaughterhouse” in a 2017 report after extensively documenting mass hangings there.
A report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in July 2023 highlighted the “continuing widespread and systematic patterns of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including enforced disappearances” inside Syrian detention facilities including Saydnaya.
Scenes of chaos at Damascus airport as people attempt to flee rebel advance
by Anirban Saha | 01:41pm
Scenes of chaos unfolded inside Damascus airport early Sunday morning local time, as Syrian rebel forces continued their lightning advance into the capital city.
Footage verified by CNN showed dozens of people quickly passing through security checkpoints and rushing to departure gates in an attempt to flee the country.
The airport appeared to be largely unstaffed and flight monitoring websites showed no imminent departures scheduled.
Rebels appear to have entered Damascus, resident says, as Assad regime’s defenses collapse
by David Koniown | 01:35pm
Rebel forces appear to have entered the Syrian capital of Damascus, one resident told CNN, as the Assad regime’s defenses showed signs of collapsing.
“The rebels are in Barzeh,” a neighborhood inside Damascus city, the resident told CNN, adding that clashes were currently taking place.
“I saw rebel fighters moving through the inner alleys of Barzeh toward Police Club Street, and I can hear very loud sounds of clashes. The electricity is cut off, and the internet is very weak, people are staying at their houses.”
“Militarily, Damascus has fallen,” a source familiar with the rebels’ advance told CNN.
Reconnaissance units had entered Damascus overnight searching for President Bashar al-Assad but were unable to find him, the source added.
Special rebel operatives have entered Damascus and are taking up key positions in “strategic places,” the source said.
The rebels say they are in touch with senior Assad regime elements who are considering defecting.
Through the day, anti-regime forces have been moving from the north, south and east toward Damascus, reaching suburbs less than 5 miles — and in one case, barely 1 mile — from the center of the Syrian capital.
The Assad regime could fall in days, US increasingly believes
Assad is nowhere to be found in Damascus, source says
by Arpita Roy | 01:23pm
Officials in US President Joe Biden’s administration, watching the remarkable speed of the Syrian rebel advance, increasingly see the possibility of Bashar al-Assad’s regime falling within days, five US officials told CNN.
If the American analysis proves true, it would represent a spectacularly fast fall from power for the Syrian dictator after a war that began in 2011, one that had been relatively stagnant until just last week.
Officials cautioned that there isn’t a formal assessment that has emerged on Assad’s fate and that views vary, saying his demise isn’t a forgone conclusion.
“The emerging consensus is that is an increasingly plausible scenario,” one senior US official said.
“Probably by next weekend the Assad regime will have lost any semblance of power,” one said.
“Only thing that would delay a rebel conquest would be a well-organized coup and reorganization, but Assad’s folks have done a good job of stifling any potential competitors,” the official added.
The Biden administration appeared caught off guard by the speed of the rebel advance that was launched last week. Regime troops have collapsed and melted away, leaving a fragile shell of an army to defend the president and Damascus.
For context: The US has misjudged the staying power of regimes before, most recently in Afghanistan — where the US intelligence community judged that the Afghan government would be more resilient than it ultimately was — and in Ukraine, which the US wrongly believed would fall to Russia within days of Russia’s invasion. As a result, in 2022, the US intelligence launched a review of how it assesses the “will to fight” of foreign militaries, CNN has previously reported.
by Arpita Roy | 01:17pm
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is nowhere to be found in Damascus, a source tells CNN.
The official line of the Syrian president’s office is that Assad hasn’t fled the capital. But a source with knowledge of the situation tells CNN that Assad isn’t at any of the locations in the city where you’d expect to find him.
Assad’s Presidential Guard are no longer deployed at his usual place of residence, as they would be if he was there, the source said, fueling speculation he may have escaped Damascus.
Traditionally, this guard detail would provide Assad’s inner cordon of security, and some of them would be expected to travel with the president when he is on the move.
According to the source, rebel forces have no solid intelligence on Assad’s location and are continuing their efforts to find him.
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