Syria War Updates: Russia Gives Political Asylum To Assad; HTS Appoints Interim Prime Minister

The Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has landed in Russia with his family after their government was toppled by the opposition forces on Sunday, ending the rule of the Assad for over 50 years.

Russian state news agencies Tass and RIA have cited an unidentified source from Kremlin to release the news of Assad's arrival in Russia's Moscow.

RIA also reported that Moscow had received guarantees from Syrian insurgents of the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria.

President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East.

Biden spoke at the White House hours after after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country following more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by Assad and his family.

Biden said the United States was monitoring reports of the whereabouts of Assad, with Russian state media saying he had fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally.

The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East.

Biden credited action by the US and its allies for weakening Syria's backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said “for the first time” that they could no longer defend Assad's grip on power.

“Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," Biden said, after a meeting with his national security team.

HTS and its leadership, spearheaded by the militant leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. They will face immediate challenges and four key priorities:

1) Consolidating power. The new leadership will now try to ensure there are no armed groups capable of contesting their rule, particularly remnants of the old Assad regime and smaller factions that were not part of the opposition forces.

2) International recognition. Syria is a very complex and diverse place. As such, the new government can only be sustained if it gains international recognition.

3) Forming a new government. The question on everyone’s mind is what kind of political order the opposition forces will now establish.

4) Rebuilding the country and maintaining unity. This is needed to prevent another civil war from erupting — this time among the winners.

HTS and many of the groups in its coalition are Sunni Muslims, with HTS having origins linked to al-Qaeda. However, HTS broke away from the terror organisation in 2016 and shifted its focus exclusively to Syria as an opposition movement. Nevertheless, we should not expect a democratic secular rule. The new government is also unlikely to resemble the ultra-conservative theocratic rule of the Taliban.

(Associated Press inputs)

The Israeli military said on Sunday it was reinforcing a barrier along its border with Syria as part of its “enhanced preparedness” in the area following the fall of the Assad regime.

Israel released images of the construction, which showed bulldozers digging what appeared to be a trench. The army said in a statement that the barrier was named “New East”.

Satellite images analysed by The Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began building what could 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 demilitarised zone during the work.

The Israeli military has issued a warning to residents of five villages and towns in southern Syria to stay inside their homes for their safety. “The fighting in your area is forcing the IDF to act,” the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman said on X.

The military didn't respond to questions. Earlier, Israel said its troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned their positions.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said on X that the IDF has been instructed to “seize the buffer zone and control points to ensure the protection of all Israeli communities in the Golan Heights – Jewish and Druze – so that they are not exposed to threats from the other side”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he ordered Israeli forces to grab a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria, after a lightning advance by Syrian opposition forces ended Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

“We attacked ammunition depots in southern Syria and in the Damascus airport area for fears they might fall into the hands of armed groups and local factions,” the Israeli public broadcaster KAN quoted an unnamed Israeli security official as saying.

“Israel is working to thwart any potential threats and prevent any damage to its air superiority in Syria,” the official added.

Israel has frequently targeted weapons shipments and military installations in Syria throughout the country’s war, citing concerns over the possible transfer of advanced weaponry to hostile groups, including Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias.

An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported airstrikes in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital on Sunday. The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched Sunday's strike.

(inputs from Al Jazeera and Associated Press)

A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing “is closely following the situation in Syria and hopes that stability will return as soon as possible”.

“We urge relevant parties in Syria to ensure the safety and security of the Chinese institutions and personnel in Syria,” the spokesperson said.

The official added that China’s Embassy in Syria is still carrying out its duties and that the Chinese government has “been actively helping Chinese nationals who wish to leave the country”.

China has had friendly relations with al-Assad.

- Al Jazeera

As the insurgents swept across Syria in just 10 days to bring an end to the Assad family's 50-year rule, they broke into prisons and security facilities to free political prisoners and many of the tens of thousands of people who disappeared since the conflict began back in 2011.

Videos shared widely across social media showed dozens of prisoners running in celebration after the insurgents released them, some barefoot and others wearing little clothing. One of them screams in celebration after he finds out that the government has fallen.

Syria's prisons have been infamous for their harsh conditions. Torture is systematic, say human rights groups, whistleblowers, and former detainees.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria's President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. As he entered Damascus behind his victorious fighters Sunday, he even dropped his nom de guerre and referred to himself with his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa, who has been labelled a terrorist by the United States, and his insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS - many of whose fighters are jihadis -- now stand to be a major player.

For years, al-Sharaa worked to consolidate power, while bottled up in the province of Idlib in Syria's northwest corner as Assad's Iranian- and Russian-backed rule over much of the country appeared solid.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs published a statement on Monday saying, "We are monitoring the situation in Syria in the light of on-going developments. We underline the need for all parties to work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We advocate a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process respecting the interests and aspirations of all sections of Syrian society. Our Embassy in Damascus is in contact with the Indian community, for their safety and security."

Israel's foreign minister says it has struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.

Gideon Saar said Monday that “the only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens”.

"That's why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists," he said.

Iran has opened a direct line of communication with opposition forces within Syria’s new leadership after the removal of Tehran’s key ally Bashar al-Assad, a senior Iranian official told the Reuters news agency.

The official added the talks aimed to “prevent a hostile trajectory” between the two countries.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has given new remarks addressing the situation in Syria. Speaking to Turkish ambassadors, Fidan said Ankara wants to see a new Syria that lives in harmony with its neighbours and is ready to support the country’s reconstruction.

Turkey will also work to help safely return displaced refugees to Syria, said Fidan. “A new era has begun in Syria, now it is time to focus on the way forward,” said Fidan. (Al Jazeera)

The opposition advance in Syria came after 13 years of brutal war, putting an end to more than half a century of the rule of the al-Assad family. The rapid rebel gains were accompanied by a lack of support from Assad's allies, Russia and Iran. His primary international backer, Russia, is preoccupied with its war in Ukraine, while Iran’s regional proxies have been weakened by regular Israeli airstrikes.

From Iran and Russia to Israel, a look at key international reactions to the news. READ HERE

The Kremlin said Monday that Russia has granted political asylum to former Syrian President Bashar Assad. Russian President Vladimir Putin personally made the decision to offer asylum to Assad, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov wouldn't comment on Assad's specific whereabouts. He said that Putin wasn't planning to meet with Assad.

The Syrian embassy building in the Jordanian capital Amman has removed the Syrian flag. Jordanian state media broadcast a video showing the removal of the flag, but it is unconfirmed if the opposition flag has been installed yet.

But the official Facebook page of the Syrian embassy posted the Syrian revolution flag. The embassy stated in a declaration following the announcement of al-Assad’s fall that it would continue to provide services to the community members.

Syria's prime minister said Monday that most Cabinet ministers are still working from offices in Damascus after rebels entered the capital over the weekend and overthrew President Bashar Assad. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali, who remained in his post after Assad and most of his top officials vanished over the weekend, has sought to project normalcy.

“We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before, when joyful crowds gathered in public squares and celebratory gunfire rang out across the capital.

He said the government is coordinating with the insurgents, and that he is ready to meet rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who made a triumphal appearance at a famed Damascus mosque on Sunday.

Over 4,000 Syrian army soldiers have fled to Iraq following the fall of Damascus to rebel forces and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, reported AP. The soldiers have reportedly surrendered their weapons, ammunition, and armoured vehicles before being relocated to a camp.

Baghdad, previously aligned with Assad through its ties with Iran, has refrained from taking sides in the conflict.

Egypt has condemned Israel’s “further occupation of Syrian lands” and views the Israeli military’s movement into a buffer zone as an attempt to enforce a new reality on the ground, it said in a foreign ministry statement.

Israel moved tanks over the border into the buffer zone with Syria, calling the move temporary and limited and aimed at ensuring Israel’s security.

The British government is considering removing Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of designated terrorist organisations following the group's victory in Syria. HTS and allied rebel factions seized control of the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday after years of civil war.

Speaking to the BBC a day after HTS-led rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad, UK government minister Pat McFadden said any move to delist the former al-Qaeda affiliate would be a "relatively swift decision" considering the fluid situation in Syria.

"The leader of that group has distanced himself away from some of the things that have been said in the past," McFadden told the BBC.

"He is saying some of the right things about the protection of minorities, about protecting people's rights. So we'll look at that in the days to come."

Hamas has issued a statement congratulating the Syrian people on “achieving their aspirations for freedom and justice” and urged all parts of society to unite and move beyond past hardships.

“We stand firmly with the Syrian people and reaffirm our commitment to Syria’s national unity and territorial integrity,” the group said,

“We believe the Syrian people have the resilience to overcome challenges and navigate this critical period. Syria can reclaim its historic and pivotal role in supporting the Palestinian cause and its resistance, while reaffirming its leadership within the Arab an Islamic worlds.”

Hamas also strongly condemned “repeated acts of aggression by the Israeli occupation against Syrian territory” and rejected any “Zionist ambitions or plans targeting Syria”. (Source: Al Jazeera)

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have appointed an interim prime minister to administer Syria following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.

Mohammed al-Bashir, who was previously head of the HTS-backed government in Idlib, was announced to take over the running of country on a temporary basis on Monday.

The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), the name of the HTS-backed administration, released an inforgraphic showing his resume.

The opposition fighters who overthrew al-Assad have announced a general amnesty for all military personnel conscripted into service under the former ruler.

“Their lives are safe and no one may assault them,” they said in a statement on Telegram.

(Source: Al Jazeera)

According to news agency AFP, the Interior Ministry of France said that the country is planning to suspend Syrians' asylum requests.

This comes after governments of Germany and Austria announced the same earlier.

The forces that have taken control of Damascus after the collapse of the Assad regime have issued a general amnesty for conscripted soldiers in the Syrian military.

In a statement on Monday, the Military Operations Command announced “a general amnesty for all conscripted soldiers serving under mandatory service. They are granted safety for their lives, and any harm against them is strictly prohibited.”

The amnesty does not apply to officers and soldiers who volunteered to serve. (Source:CNN)

Qatar has condemned Israel’s seizure of land in Syria near the occupied Golan Heights to create a so-called buffer zone.

Qatar considers it “a dangerous development and a blatant attack on Syria’s sovereignty and unity, as well as a flagrant violation of international law,” reads a statement from the country’s foreign ministry.