- At a meeting in Jordan, regional diplomats talked on Syria’s future post al-Assad and condemned Israel’s incursion into the buffer zone, demanding that Israel withdraw its forces from Syrian territory.
- The border crossings between Syria and Turkiye, and Syria and Lebanon, remain jammed with people trying to return home after years abroad fleeing war.
- Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Damascus says Israeli air strikes that shook the Syrian capital on Friday night targeted the headquarters of the army’s fourth division and a radar battalion in the nearby countryside.
- New satellite images appear to show Russia’s military packing up equipment at Khmeimim airbase in Syria’s Latakia province, though Russian media reports that Moscow has made contact with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) opposition group and is seeking to maintain its bases in the country.
Syria’s Christian community celebrates fall of al-Assad amid Christmas
Hanna Maradshi, a Christian Damascus resident, says he is “so happy” in the fall of the previous government, and now they’re trying to be “one people”.
“We’re trying to celebrate Christmas … and the New Year. Most of the people are happy,” Maradshi told Al Jazeera.
Moataz Haydar, a teacher in Damascus, also said he feels the same as Maradshi and that Syria is “one country, one people, we live together as Muslims [and] Christians”.
“We are so happy with the new change, new atmosphere … and we hope for the best,” he added.
No criticism from US as Israeli warplanes pounded Syria
US’ former ambassador in Damascus, Robert Ford, said that he was not aware of any US criticism of Israel’s bombing campaign against Syrian targets.
“I have seen no criticism of the Israeli action from United States government spokespeople in Washington,” Ford told Al Jazeera.
Addressing Turkish and US relations regarding Syria, Ford said that both countries have not yet reconciled their differences in terms of their support for rival opposition armed groups in the Syria civil war, which continues to the present day.
Ankara and Washington agree on the value of preventing the return of ISIL (ISIS) into central and eastern Syria, but they disagree on strategies to achieve that objective, which is in their “common interest”, Ford said.
“I have seen no evidence yet that the Americans are prepared to relinquish their use and partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces. And I have seen no indication that Turkiye has backtracked from its animosity towards the Syrian Democratic Forces,” he said.
Israeli bombing of Syria disrupting humanitarian operations, spreading fear: UN official
The UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, said:
- “In the northeast there is a war between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the so-called Syrian National Army. There are also battles going on between the HTS Tahir al-Sham and the Syrian Democratic Forces in some areas around Deir Az-Zur, and also some fighting between the SDF and HTS in the northwest.”
- “The police have disappeared since the HTS took over and now it is the HTS forces that are maintaining peace in all the areas that have been taken over from the previous regime.”
- “While the UN and its assets may not have been a direct target of these [Israeli] air raids, they have the unintended consequence of not allowing us to conduct normal humanitarian operations for the fear of just being caught in the wrong time in the wrong place. Also, they create an atmosphere of fear among the population.”
- “Some of these air raids have in the past killed innocent civilians.”