Syrians celebrate Bashar Assad's fall as his whereabouts remain unknown

UPDATE | Dec.8, 2024,  7:27 AM CST |

Crowds gathered in Syria's Damascus on Sunday to celebrate the fall of Bashar Assad’s government with chants, prayers and the occasional gunfire after opposition fighters entered the capital following a stunning advance.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian opposition war monitor, said Assad took a flight from Damascus and left early Sunday. There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government and Assad's whereabouts remain unknown.

It was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018 when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege.

The night before, opposition forces had taken the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it.

The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too.

Syrian opposition fighters say they have entered Damascus following a stunning advance across the country as the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor reported that President Bashar Assad had left the country, as Syria's government appears to have fallen.

Rami Abdurrahman said Assad took a flight from Damascus and left early Sunday. There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government. 

It was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege.

The night before, opposition forces had taken the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it. Homs is an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces that are the Syrian leader’s base of support.

The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too.

Eight key countries gathered with the U.N. special envoy on Syria on the sidelines of the Doha Summit for two hours of discussions Saturday night, and more will follow. The U.N. envoy seeks urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visit the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria December 11, 2017. Picture taken December 11, 2017. (credit: Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/ via REUTERS)

Here's the latest:

Head of Syria’s biggest rebel faction in first appearance since Assad’s fall calls it “a victory to the Islamic nation.”

BEIRUT - The leader of the largest insurgent group in Syria visited the Syrian capital’s sprawling Umayyad Mosque and declared that the victory against President Bashar Assad “is a victory to the Islamic nation.”

Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, made his first public appearance and remarks since fighters entered Damascus. He told hundreds of people at the historic mosque that Assad had made Syria “a farm for Iran’s greed.” He added that Assad made Syria a base for the illegal amphetamine Captagon that brought cash to Assad’s circles.

Al-Sharaa, the leader of the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, said Sunday that the victory was achieved because of “God and the blood of martyrs.”

He said that he left Syria 20 years ago and since then his heart has longed for this movement.

British Prime Minister welcomes end of Assad's rule, calls for protection of civilians

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the end of Assad’s rule as he called for peace and the protection of civilians.

“The Syrian people have suffered under Assad’s barbaric regime for too long and we welcome his departure,” Starmer said.

He said the U.K. was focused on a political solution to restore peace and stability.

“We call on all sides to protect civilians and minorities and ensure essential aid can reach the most vulnerable in the coming hours and days,” he said.

Many Jordanian people welcome the fall of Assad's regime

AMMAN, Jordan — The vast majority of the Jordanian people are welcoming the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the success of the Syrian revolution.

“There is no doubt that I felt overwhelming joy at the fall of the Assad regime," said Badi Al-Rafaia, Engineer, union activist and member of the Islamic Action Front. "There is no doubt that we are happy with what happened in Syria, happy with the success of the revolution, happy with the Syrian people getting rid of an oppressor and criminal who treated the Syrian people and made the Syrian state a failed state.”

Al-Rafaia said that Jordan is benefiting from what happened in Syria, and "we hope that Jordan will help the revolution succeed and not work against it.”

Amman resident Muhab al-Majali said the fall of the Assad regime is “The end of every unjust and tyrannical rule, and more than that, it mortgaged the country and its people to the Iranians, who abandoned it in minutes... I believe that the future is beautiful and prosperous for the Syrians.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross calls for safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Syria

BERLIN — The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Syria after the fall of Bashir Assad’s government.

“Our teams in Syria, including in Damascus, have been closely monitoring the fast-evolving security and humanitarian situation in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent,” the ICRC’s head of delegation in Syria, Stephan Sakalian, said in a written statement Sunday.

The ICRC is “responding wherever possible, with further efforts underway, as hundreds of thousands of people need care and humanitarian assistance,” he said.

Sakalian called “on all parties to urgently enable safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian workers to reach those in need, to protect civilians, and to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

Iraqi government supports efforts seeking to open a dialogue for Syria's future

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government said in a statement Sunday that it “supports all international and regional efforts seeking to open a dialogue” for Syria “leading to the adoption of a pluralistic constitution that preserves the human and civil rights of Syrians, and supports cultural, ethnic and religious diversity.”

The statement from government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi, said that Iraq understands “the necessity of respecting the free will of all Syrians, and stresses that the security of Syria, the unity of its territories, and the preservation of its independence are of utmost importance, not only for Iraq but also for its connection to the security and stability of the region.”

It cautioned against “interfering in Syria’s internal affairs, or supporting one party for the benefit of another.”

Iraq, which has a close relationship with Iran - once a strong ally of former Syrian President Bashar Assad - has taken in some 2,000 Syrian army soldiers who fled the country amid the advance of armed opposition groups.

Yemen's leader welcomes the fall of Syria's government

CAIRO — The head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government welcomed the fall of the government of President Bashar Assad of Syria.

“It’s a historic moment,” Rashad al-Alimi, who chairs the ruling presidential council, wrote on X platform of Assad’s downfall. “It’s time for the Iranian regime to stop meddling in Yemen, respect its sovereignty and identity.”

Al-Alimi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia, was referring to Iran’s support of Houthi rebels who are at war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government for a decade.

Families wander through the presidential palace in Damascus, taking pictures

DAMASCUS — Families wandered through the high-ceilinged halls of the presidential palace in Damascus on Sunday, along with some armed men. Some paused to take family portraits or selfies on the few remaining couches against the backdrop of mosaiced walls, while others walked out with chairs and other items under their arms. On the massive parking lot out front, cars drove in circles honking ecstatically.

In central Damascus’ Umayyad Square, drivers passing by also honked jubilantly, while young men piled onto a tank abandoned in the square.

But for some the celebration was bittersweet.

“I am very happy, but this happiness will not be completed until I can see my son out of the prison and know where is he is,” said Damascus resident Bassam Masr. “I have been searching for him for two hours - he has been detained for 13 years.”

Iran, which had closely backed Assad, says Syrians should decide country’s future

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran says the Syrian people should decide their country’s future “without destructive, coercive foreign intervention.”

The Foreign Ministry statement issued Sunday marked Iran’s first official reaction to the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, who it had strongly backed through nearly 14 years of civil war.

Assad’s government was a close ally of Iran that served as a crucial conduit between it and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The rebels who toppled Assad view Iran as a hostile foreign influence, and the abandoned Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked as they entered the city.

The Foreign Ministry statement said Iran supports Syria’s unity and national sovereignty, and hopes to see “the end of military conflicts, the prevention of terrorist activities and the start of a national dialogue” with the participation of all groups.

“It is expected that the wise and farsighted relations of the two nations will continue based on mutual ties and interests,” the statement said.

Netanyahu says Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights after Syrian unrest

TEL AVIV, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria. He spoke from an overlook near the border between Syria and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, after Syrian rebels tore through the country and dramatically ended Assad’s rule on Sunday morning.

Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating the Israeli takeover as a “temporary defensive position.”

Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied Syrian territory.

Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began construction of what could possibly be a new road right along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria. The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops entered the demilitarized zone during the work.

The United Nations maintains a peacekeeping force in the demilitarized zone called the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF, with around 1,100 peacekeepers from Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Uruguay. After the 1973 Mideast war, the U.N. Secretary Council voted to create UNDOF to patrol a roughly 400 square kilometer (155 square mile) demilitarized zone and maintain the peace there.

Syrians cross over from Lebanon, facing an uncertain future but hopeful for change

MASNAA, Lebanon — At Lebanon’s Masnaa crossing into Syria, the mood was festive Sunday with some local Lebanese residents handing out congratulatory sweets to Syrians lined up to return to their country.

Sami Abdel-Latif, a refugee from Hama who was heading to Syria to join his wife and four children, said while the future in Syria is still uncertain, “anything is better than Bashar.” He said he expected some chaos initially but that eventually the situation would settle down.

“Look at Aleppo now,” he said, referring to the first major city taken over by opposition forces more than a week ago, where life has continued more or less as normal. Abdel-Latif, a construction worker, said he is also hoping that there will now be plentiful work in Syria to rebuild.

Malak Matar, who was preparing to return to Damascus, said, “This is a feeling we’ve been waiting 14 years for.

“You feel yourself psychologically free - you can express yourself,” he said. “The country is free and the barriers have been broken down.”

Now, he said, “Syrians have to create a state that is well-organized and take care of their country. It’s a new phase.”

Egyptians express mixed feelings over collapse of Assad's government

CAIRO — Egyptians expressed mixed feelings following the downfall of Syria's Bashar Assad.

Many welcomed Assad’s ouster after decades of repression under his rule and that of his father Hafez Assad. Others, however, expressed concerns about the future of Syria, mostly given the extremist past of rebel commanders, especially Abu Mohammed al-Golani who leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, labeled a terrorist by the United States.

“It’s good news for Syrians,” Adel Salah, a retired school teacher, said while following a news TV channel in a Cairo coffee shop. “But there is a big question: the future of the country.”

Saeed Sawy, an engineer, painted a rather grim picture. He said it’s likely that these rebel groups, with their differences and competing alliances, will engage in infighting over the country’s future.

“We saw this happen before. We saw this in Libya, in Tunisia, in Yemen and Sudan. People rejoice over the fall of tyrants, then they disagree and fight, and a civil war starts,” he said.

EU top diplomat welcomes Bashar Assad's ouster

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top diplomat welcomed the fall of Bashar Assad and said that the collapse of his rule underlines how weak his supporters in Moscow and Tehran have become.

“The end of Assad’s dictatorship is a positive and long-awaited development,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posted on X.

“Our priority is to ensure security in the region. I will work with all the constructive partners, in Syria and the region,” said Kallas, who took over as the 27-nation bloc’s top diplomat last week.

German Chancellor calls for speedy return of order in Syria

BERLIN — Reacting to the fall of Bashir Assad’s government, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday that “what matters now is that law and order are quickly restored in Syria.”

“The Syrian people have experienced appalling suffering,” the chancellor said in an emailed statement. “The end of Assad’s rule over Syria is therefore good news.”

He stressed that “all religious communities, all minorities must enjoy protection now and in the future.”

“We will judge the future rulers by whether they make it possible for all Syrians to live in dignity and self-determination, defend Syria’s sovereignty against malicious interference by third parties and live in peace with their neighbors,” Scholz added.

Airstrikes reported in the area of the Mezzeh military airport

DAMASCUS, Syria — An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported airstrikes in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital Sunday.

The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched Sunday's strike.

The Israeli military refused to comment on the airport strike.

Israel often does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that Israeli warplanes also targeted warehouses belonging to the Syrian army’s Fourth Division and another former military site outside of Damascus Sunday.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Israeli military sent additional troops to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights to bolster Israel’s presence along the border between Israel and Syria. Agricultural areas along the border were declared closed military zones and some schools shifted to online classes in anticipation of unrest.

China hopes for stability soon in Syria

BEIJING — China said it was closely monitoring the situation in Syria and that it hoped stability would return as soon as possible, according to a statement published Sunday on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

Beijing said it has been helping Chinese nationals who wish to leave Syria to do so in a safe manner and that it remained in contact with those still in the country.

“We urge relevant parties in Syria to ensure the safety and security of the Chinese institutions and personnel in Syria,” the statement read. “The Chinese Embassy is still up and running and carrying out its duty in Syria. We will continue to make every possible assistance to Chinese nationals in need.”

Opposition forces announce curfew in Damascus

BEIRUT — The command of the Syrian armed opposition says it will impose Sunday a curfew in Damascus, starting at 4 p.m. local time till 5 a.m. on Monday.

The Military Operations Administration, which posted the decision on Telegram, did not give a reason for the curfew.

Russia claims Assad left Syria after giving instructions to transfer power peacefully

MOSCOW — Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed Sunday that Bashar Assad had left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups, and gave “instructions” to “transfer power peacefully.”

In a post on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday, the ministry said Moscow had not directly participated in these talks. It also said it has been following the “dramatic events” in Syria “with extreme concern."

It also said Russian troops stationed in Syria have been put on high alert and that as of early afternoon Sunday, there was “no serious threat” to the security of Russia’s military bases there.

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad’s government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country.

While Russia now concentrates the bulk of its military resources in Ukraine, it has maintained a military foothold in Syria and keeps troops at its bases there.

Turkey-backed forces are about to wrest control of city from a U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish security officials said Sunday that Turkey-backed opposition forces were close to wresting control of the city of Manbij from a U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force.

The opposition group, known as the Syrian National Army, SNA, was now in control of 80% of Manbij, after pushing back against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the YPG, the officials said. They provided the information on condition of anonymity due to regulations.

Last week, the Turkish-backed force similarly expelled YPG fighters from the city of Tal Rifaat.

The Syrian Kurdish militia group is a key U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. Turkey however, considers the YPG to be a terrorist organization due to its link to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.

Turkey has conducted several incursions into Syria since 2016 to push the YPG away from its borders with Syria.

France welcomes the fall of Bashar Assad

PARIS — The French Foreign Affairs ministry said France “welcomes” the fall of Bashar Assad’s government “after more than 13 years of violent repression against its own people.”

The ministry said in a statement: “The Syrian people have suffered too much. Bashar Assad has bled dry country, emptied of a large part of its people who, if not forced into exile, have been massacred, tortured and bombarded with chemical weapons by the regime and its allies.”

France also called for a peaceful political transition that respects the diversity of the Syrian people and protects civilians and minorities and on its international partners to help the Syrian people move towards “reconciliation and reconstruction,” saying France is ready to “play its full part” in the process.

UN envoy for Syria expresses hope but warns of immense challenges

DOHA, Qatar — The U.N. envoy for Syria says the ouster of President Bashar Assad has created an opportunity to address the country’s deep problems and create a brighter future after years of conflict. But he says “immense” challenges remain.

Geir Pederson told reporters that the changes in Syria now raise hope for millions of refugees, internally displaced, political prisoners and families whose loved ones have disappeared.

“Today we look forward to the cautious hope for the opening of a new time for the peace, reconciliation, dignity and inclusion of all Syrians,” he said.

He said the U.N. was closely monitoring the situation on the ground and urging all groups to avoid violence, protect civilians and respect human rights.

“Let me stress that there must be a collective effort to secure peace and dignity for all, and that I stand ready to support the Syrian people in their journey toward a stable and inclusive future, decided and shaped by the Syrian people themselves,” Pederson said at the Doha Summit.

He said he did not know where Assad has fled to and declined to say whether the former president should be prosecuted for war crimes.

Pederson said international efforts should focus now on a stable and peaceful transition before addressing deeper questions like justice for Assad.

Turkish foreign minister calls on world to help stabilize Syria

BEIRUT — Hakan Fidan said Sunday that “Syria has reached a stage where the Syrian people will shape the future of their own country,” calling on the international community to support Syrians.

Fidan is attending the Qatari diplomatic forum that started late Saturday and is hosting eight countries with an interest in Syria, including the U.S. and Iran.

“The new administration must be established in an orderly manner. The principle of inclusiveness must never be compromised," the Turkish foreign minister told reporters. "There must never be a desire for revenge. It is time to unite and reconstruct the country.”

When asked where Bashar Assad was, he said: “I cannot say for sure.” Hakan Fidan, adding, “he is somewhere, but I cannot comment on that” and that he was “probably outside of Syria.”

Fidan, who on Saturday met with his counterparts from Russia and Iran, the main backers of the Assad regime, said regional and global powers should try “to act with prudence and calm and to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the region.”

Turkey has been in contact with Syrian opposition factions to ensure terrorist groups do not take advantage of the situation, Fidan added, referring to the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants. He also stressed that any chemical weapon stockpiles should be secured.

Copyright Associated Press