- Syria’s new administration moves to form government, expected to announce head of transition.
- The opposition forces who have overthrown Bashar al-Assad say they are granting amnesty to all military personnel conscripted into service under the former ruler.
- Rescue teams and relatives of disappeared people are searching for their loved ones at the notorious Sednaya Prison in Damascus after the fall of al-Assad’s government.
- Kremlin confirms al-Assad has been given asylum in Russia after fleeing a lightning advance by opposition forces.
- Israel says it has “seized” territory in Syrian-controlled areas of the Golan Heights and hit weapons sites in the country.
- In his first speech since seizing Damascus, Ahmad al-Sharaa, also referred to as al-Julani, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, says al-Assad’s fall is the beginning of a “new history” for the region.
Israel’s Golan Heights seizure ‘sabotage’ to Syria security: Saudi officials
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Israel’s land grab in the Syrian-controlled areas of the Golan Heights.
In a statement posted on X, Saudi officials wrote that “the attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation government through seizing the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and the targeting of Syrian territories by the Israeli occupation forces, confirm Israel’s continued violation of the rules of international law, and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability, and territorial integrity.”
Iran condemns Israeli actions in Syria, calls for UN intervention
Iran condemns Israel’s “repeated violations of Syrian infrastructure” and seizure of Syrian land, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Ismail Baghaei.
His comments came after Israeli troops took up positions in Syria near the occupied Golan Heights to create a so-called buffer zone and after a fresh wave of Israeli air strikes on military infrastructure in the country.
Baghaei said he considered Israel’s actions a violation of international law and called for an “immediate response” by the UN Security Council to “stop the aggression”.
Qatari officials speak with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham: report
Qatari diplomats spoke with Syria’s leading rebel faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as governments across the region are scrambling to forge new links with HTS and other rebel groups involved in the offensive that seized control of much of Syria.
Qatari officials also plan to speak with Mohamed al-Bashir, an HTS leader expected to lead Syria’s transitional administration, the official said, speaking anonymously to Reuters.
“The focus is on the need for HTS and other groups to maintain calm and preserve Syria’s public institutions during the transition period,” the official said.
Qatar’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment about the contacts with HTS.Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, Minister of State at Qatar’s foreign ministry, said late that the country is communicating with “various parties on the ground” in Syria, without specifying who.
“Qatar has always kept its doors open to everyone, in line with its foreign policy,” Khulaifi said.
Hezbollah condemns Israeli strikes on Syria
Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has condemned increased Israeli strikes on Syria and said it stood by the country’s people, in its first comment since rebels overthrew the group’s ally, former President Bashar al-Assad.
Hezbollah lambasted Israel for “occupying more land in the Golan Heights” where it moved troops into a buffer zone after Assad fell, and for “striking and destroying the defensive capabilities of the Syrian state”.
“While we affirm our support for Syria and its people, we stress the necessity to preserve Syria’s unity,” it added.The statement makes no mention of al-Assad.
Germany, France ‘conditionally’ ready to ‘cooperate’ with new Syria leaders
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have discussed the possibility of cooperating with Syria’s new leaders, the German chancellery has said.
“Both agreed that they were ready to cooperate with the new leadership on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities,” Berlin said in a statement.
Iran condemns Israeli actions in Syria, calls for UN intervention
Iran condemns Israel’s “repeated violations of Syrian infrastructure” and seizure of Syrian land, according to Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Ismail Baqaei.
His comments came after Israeli troops took up positions in a buffer zone in Syria near the occupied Golan Heights to create a so-called buffer zone and after a fresh wave of Israeli air strikes on military infrastructure in the country.
Baqaei said he considered Israel’s actions a violation of international law and called for an “immediate response” by the UN Security Council to stop the aggression”.
‘One of the big potential losers here is going to be the Kurds’
At least three civilians were killed during protests in northern Syria, as people there took to the street to demand the expulsion of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Colin Clarke, a director of research at The Soufan Center, a global security consultancy, said that the developments were “inevitable”.
“When we start trying to divide up who the winner and who the losers are from the overthrow of the al-Assad regime, one of the big potential losers here is going to be the Kurds, and one of the big potential winners is going to be Turkey. As we know the Kurds and the Turks have historic animosity and Erdogan is likely to use the current impasse to push for more leverage to go after the Kurds.”
The Kurds have long been backed by the United States, leading to a situation in which “you have two NATO allies backing different proxy groups in what’s going to be a very complex situation going forward,” Clarke added.
“A lot of analysts want to focus on the joy that Syrians are experiencing with freedom for the first time in five decades, and that’s absolutely heartwarming, but the hard part now begins, which is putting together a cohesive entity to govern the country.”
Israeli strikes in Syria ‘further challenging the transition’
It’s not just a one-time strike that Israel is conducting now, it’s a systemic one, and now they are saying that they are aiming to destroy Syria’s defence bases.
Today, they have hit three major airports. And it’s not only the military air bases that they have struck, they are also striking strategic facilities, they have hit the military headquarters, they have hit the intelligence headquarters, they are hitting the ammunition depots, and they are hitting some of the other places that they say were chemical weapons production houses.
The Israelis say that they have destroyed dozens of helicopters and aircraft. And the reason they are doing that is that they are concerned that these strategic facilities, this ammunition and military equipment could fall into the hands of the opposition.
But this policy is actually further challenging the transition period here.
For more than five decades, the Assad regime has ruled over Syria and now there is a new administration here, and the opposition is not experienced when it comes to state affairs, they are already facing numerous challenges, security challenges, and on top of that now, the Israeli attacks are coming again and again, destroying almost all facilities and constantly hitting the capital.
UN peacekeepers say Israel violated 1974 agreement in Syria
UN peacekeepers in Syria have told Israeli forces that their seizure of land in Syria constitutes a violation of an agreement established in 1974.
Back then, Syria and Israel signed the Agreement on Disengagement, which ended the Yom Kippur War. A UN peacekeeping force was also established, UNDOF, tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between the two countries.
After the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, Israel considered the deal null and therefore occupied Syrian land near the already-occupied Golan Heights.
“The peacekeepers at UNDOF informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions do constitute a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement that there should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation, and Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement and preserve stability in the Golan,” UN secretary-general’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has said.
US, Jordanian military officials meet on Syria
General Michael Kurilla, chief of the US army’s Central Command (CENTCOM), met with Major General Yousef al-Huneiti, chairman of the Jordanian joint chiefs of staff, in Amman, a statement from CENTCOM says.
The pair “discussed efforts to enhance regional cooperation and security, strengthening US-Jordanian military cooperation, as well as the rapidly changing situation on the ground in Syria”, the statement reads.
The US reiterated its commitment to Jordan’s security, saying that it would aid the country should any new threats arise during this period of “transition” in Syria.
Large wave of Israeli strikes against Syrian air bases: Report
We’ve been replaying reports from the ground that air strikes had targeted bases near Damascus, Syria.
Now, Reuters news agency, citing two unnamed Syrian security sources, says Israeli planes bombed at least three major Syrian army air bases that housed dozens of helicopters and jets.
This is the biggest such wave of strikes on air bases since Bashar al-Assad was toppled, the security sources told Reuters.
Qamishli air base in northeast Syria, Shinshar base in the countryside of Homs and Aqaba airport southwest of the capital Damascus were all hit, the sources said.
Israel has also launched several strikes on a research centre on the outskirts of Damascus and a centre for electronic warfare near the Sayeda Zainab area of the capital.
Israel has just told the United Nations that it is involved in “limited” actions in Syria after the fall of al-Assad.Since yesterday, Israel has taken over a buffer zone next to its occupied land in the Golan Heights and carried out dozens of strikes against Syrian territory.