by Mikhail Zakharov
[REGNUM] On the night of December 8, 2024, armed opposition forces entered the Syrian capital Damascus, and the regime of the country's president Bashar al-Assad was declared overthrown.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali has announced his readiness to hand over power to a new government.
HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED
Back in late November, the Syrian opposition launched an offensive from the Idlib province in the north of the country, which it partially controlled at the time. The armed groups encountered virtually no resistance from government forces along the way.
The advance of Assad's opponents was swift. On November 30, they took control of Aleppo, the country's second-largest city, and its environs, including the international airport and the Kuweires military airfield. On December 5, the Syrian army abandoned Hama, Syria's fifth-largest city. By the evening of December 7, several more major cities had been captured.
That same evening, the first reports of fighting in the suburbs of Damascus appeared, and a little later, information came that government forces had left the city center. On the morning of December 8, opposition forces entered the Syrian capital. They then took control of television and went on air with a statement that they had established control over Syria.
WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY
Ghazi al-Jalali
| …more fully Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, the Syrian politician and civil engineer who was stepped up as prime minister of the Syrian caretaker government after President Bashar al Assad bugged out of Damascus on December 7th… |
Al-Jalali announced that he had established contact with opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (aka Abu Muhammad al-Julani) to discuss issues of governing the country during the transition period. He explained that he was ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people.
"We are ready to work with them in such a way as to provide them with all possible assistance and gradually transfer government affairs, securing state facilities," the Syrian prime minister said. Ghazi al-Jalali also noted that he will not leave Damascus and called for the preservation of Syria's public institutions.
Despite calls not to cause pogroms, there were cases of looting, including at the presidential palace, and arson of police stations. The Iranian embassy in Damascus was seized after being stormed by armed men. In the wake of the events, the largest airports in Damascus and Aleppo suspended operations until December 18 and 17, respectively.
Those who seized power in the country also released prisoners from prisons, including from the largest prison in Syria, Seidnaya. Meanwhile, it became known that some opposition groups began military actions against Kurdish paramilitary formations in the northern city of Manbij - they had previously joined forces to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.
WHAT THE WORLD SAYS
According to the elected American President Donald Trump, the United States should not interfere in the conflict. There is chaos in Syria, but this country is not a friend of the United States, he emphasized on December 7. At the same time, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Daniel Shapiro said today that American troops will maintain their presence in the eastern regions of the country.
The UN, through its envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, called on Syrians to “prioritize dialogue and respect for humanitarian law.” “ The special envoy underlines the clear desire of millions of Syrians to see stable and inclusive transitional mechanisms established so that Syrian institutions can continue to function,” the document says.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Syria needs international support to return several million refugees to the country after the events that took place. According to him, Ankara also expects the Syrian people to determine their own future.
Against the backdrop of current events, Israel has decided to declare the state's border areas with Syria a "closed military zone." At the same time, information is coming in that the Israeli Air Force has preemptively attacked weapons depots in southern Syria and Damascus.
WHAT THEY SAY IN RUSSIA
On the afternoon of December 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement that Russia calls on all parties to the Syrian conflict to renounce the use of violence and resolve all issues through political means. “We are following the dramatic events in Syria with extreme concern,” our diplomats noted. “In this regard, the Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition.”
From the very beginning of the conflict in the country, Russia has advocated for establishing a dialogue between various Syrian political and religious forces, associations and organizations. This was once again emphasized today by our Foreign Ministry, calling for respect for the opinions of all ethno-confessional forces in Syrian society and support for efforts to establish an inclusive political process based on UN resolutions.
The ministry also reported that as a result of negotiations with a number of participants in the armed conflict in the country, Bashar al-Assad resigned as president of Syria and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully. Russia did not participate in these negotiations, the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated.
It is reported that today all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety of our citizens in Syria. They also emphasized that Russian military bases are in a heightened state of combat readiness, and at the moment there is no serious threat to their safety.
The Russian Embassy in Damascus notes that there has been no information about Russians killed or injured in Syria, and the staff of the institution are also fine. There are no organized Russian tourists in Syria, the Ministry of Economic Development reported. The Russian Foreign Ministry reminded Russians of emergency contacts: +74 956 954 545 and e-mail dskc@mid.ru.
THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE IT
In the past years, Russia supported the government of Bashar al-Assad in the fight against extreme terrorist forces, but our country did not intend to wage large-scale military operations for the government regime. As Russian President Vladimir Putin noted, “we are not going to be more Syrian than the Syrians themselves.”
In the situation around Syria, Russia has always proceeded from the priority of international law and has been a consistent supporter of diplomatic work. “It is necessary to seek ways to resolve crisis situations only on the basis of the provisions of the UN Charter,” the head of our state noted back in 2013.
In 2015, at the plenary session of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, Putin emphasized that “we propose to be guided not by ambitions, but by common values and common interests based on international law, to join efforts to solve the new problems facing us and to create a truly broad international anti-terrorist coalition,” he said.
In 2018, when talking about the necessary steps to restore the Syrian economy, as well as to resolve “long-standing, complex, but necessary humanitarian issues,” Putin also emphasized that coordinated international work was needed here. “We count on the support of the United Nations and all countries that are interested in resolving the Syrian crisis,” the president voiced our country’s position at the time.
In 2022, Vladimir Putin once again emphasized that the Syrian crisis can only be fully resolved through political and diplomatic means, relying on inter-Syrian dialogue, as envisaged by UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Naturally, with strict adherence to the fundamental principles of respect for sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.
“The future of Syria must be determined by the Syrians themselves, without any ready-made recipes or models being imposed from outside,” the head of state emphasized.
As the Vice Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Konstantin Kosachev stated today, Russia will continue to provide support to the people of Syria if necessary, but the Syrians will have to cope with a full-scale civil war themselves. He noted that our primary task is to ensure the safety of our compatriots, civilians, diplomats and military personnel.
In addition, it should be noted that Russia today is concentrating its forces and resources on conducting a special military operation. Our army is fulfilling its goals and confidently advancing, breaking the resistance of the armed forces of Ukraine, and this remains a priority task.
Russia confirms taking in ex-Syrian president: ‘Breaking news! Bashar al-Assad and his family in Moscow’
[IsraelTimes] Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow with his family after Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, a Kremlin source tells Russian news agencies, adding that a deal has been made to ensure the safety of Russian military bases.
Earlier today, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that Assad had left Syria and given orders for a peaceful transfer of power, after rebel fighters raced into Damascus unopposed on Sunday morning, ending nearly six decades of his family’s iron-fisted rule.
“Syrian President Assad of Syria and members of his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds,” the privately-owned Interfax news agency and state media quote the unnamed Kremlin source as saying.
Interfax cites the same Kremlin source as saying Russia favors a political solution led by the UN to the crisis in Syria, where Moscow supported Assad during the long civil war.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, writes on his Telegram channel: “Breaking news! Bashar al-Assad and his family in Moscow. Russia does not betray friends in difficult situations.”
Syrian opposition leaders had agreed to guarantee the safety of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions in Syria, the source tells news agencies. But some Russian war bloggers say the situation around the bases was extremely tense and the source does not say how long the security guarantee lasted.
Moscow, a staunch backer of Assad whom it intervened to help in 2015 in its biggest Middle East foray since the Soviet collapse, is scrambling to salvage its position. Its geopolitical clout in the wider region and two strategically important military bases in Syria are on the line.
Related:
Al-Julani 12/08/2024 Syria’s rebel leader Golani: From radical jihadist to ostensible pragmatist
Al-Julani 12/07/2024 After Hama: New Militant Strike Threatens to Cut Off Russian Bases in Syria
Al-Julani 12/06/2024 Syrian rebel leader appears in public for first time since launch of anti-regime offensive
Al-Julani 12/08/2024 Syria’s rebel leader Golani: From radical jihadist to ostensible pragmatist
Al-Julani 12/07/2024 After Hama: New Militant Strike Threatens to Cut Off Russian Bases in Syria
Al-Julani 12/06/2024 Syrian rebel leader appears in public for first time since launch of anti-regime offensive