DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – Syria’s prime minister said Monday that rebels invaded the capital over the weekend. overthrew President Bashar al-Assad. Refugees have been pouring in from neighboring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future.
But there were already signs of trouble ahead for the rebel alliance that now controls much of the country. Former Al Qaeda extremist leader He severed ties with extremist groups several years ago and promised representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command announced on Monday that it would not dictate to women what to wear.
Israel said it was conducting airstrikes on suspected chemical weapons facilities and long-range rockets to keep them out of the hands of extremists. Israel also occupied a buffer zone inside Syria after the withdrawal of Syrian troops.
In northern Syria, Turkey announced that a coalition of rebels had captured the town of Manbij from U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces, and even after President Bashar Assad’s departure from Russia, tensions between armed groups that the country had fought in the past continued. It reminded us that we remain divided.
The Kremlin said: Russia grants political asylum to President Assada decision taken by President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Putin had no plans to meet with Assad.
Syrian opposition fighters guard a checkpoint in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Damascus was quiet on Monday, with most shops and public institutions closed, but life was slowly returning to normal. There were still people celebrating in public squares. Private transport resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed outside bakeries and other grocery stores.
There was little sign of security presence, and an Associated Press reporter saw several SUVs that appeared to have been broken into on the side of the main thoroughfare.
In some areas, small numbers of armed groups were stationed on the streets. A video circulating online showed a man in military uniform holding a rifle and trying to reassure residents in Damascus’ Mezzeh area that they would not be harmed.
“Alawites, Christians, Shiites, Druze, we have nothing against you. But everyone must behave with civility and no one should try to attack us. We shouldn’t,” the fighter said.
Prime Minister says government is still working
Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali, who remained in power after Assad and most of his top officials disappeared over the weekend, has sought to restore normalcy.
“We are working to ensure that the transition period goes quickly and smoothly,” he told Sky News Arabian Television on Monday, adding that the security situation had already improved since the previous day.
He said the government was working with the rebels and was ready to meet with rebel leader Ahmad al-Shallah (formerly known as Ahmad al-Shallah). Abu Mohammed Al Golani, He made a triumphant appearance at the famous Damascus mosque on Sunday.
Syrians who until just a few days ago worked in the Assad regime’s bureaucracy at all levels are adjusting to a new reality.
Judge Kitam Haddad, an assistant to the outgoing government’s justice minister, said on Sunday that judges at Damascus’s judicial court, which was attacked by rebels demanding the release of detainees, were ready to resume work as soon as possible. said.
“We want to give rights to everyone,” Haddad said outside the courthouse. “We want to build a new Syria and continue our work in new ways.”
Meanwhile, the rebels guaranteed personal freedom and said they would not force women to wear Islamic dress. The General Command issued a statement on social media saying, “It is strictly prohibited to interfere with women’s attire or impose requirements related to dress or appearance, including requirements for modesty.” Ta.
Separately, Syria’s opposition war monitor said a senior aide to Assad’s brother Maher was found dead in his office near Damascus. A video circulating on social media allegedly showed Maj. Gen. Ali Mahmoud covered in blood and his clothes burnt. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not clear whether he was murdered or died by suicide.
Maher al-Assad heads the military’s 4th Armored Division, which played a key role in the civil war that erupted in 2011 after a popular uprising against Assad led to a violent crackdown on opposition and the rise of an uprising. I accomplished it.
Israel confirms attack with rocket suspected to be chemical weapon
While Israelis welcomed the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, a key ally of Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, they expressed concern about what will happen next. Israel said its forces had temporarily occupied a buffer zone inside Syria dating back to a 1974 agreement after Syrian forces withdrew amid the chaos.
“Our only concern is the safety of Israel and its people,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters on Monday. “That is why we attacked strategic weapons systems, such as remaining chemical weapons and long-range missiles and rockets, to prevent them from falling into the hands of extremists.”
Saar did not provide details about when or where the strike took place.
An Associated Press reporter in Damascus reported on Sunday an airstrike in the area of the Mezzeh military airport southwest of the capital. The airport has been the target of Israeli airstrikes before. Strikes were also held in the capital on Monday.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, targeting what it claims are related military positions. Iran and Hezbollah. Israeli officials rarely comment on individual attacks.
The Syrian government agreed to give up its chemical weapons stockpile in 2013 after it was accused of launching chemical weapons. Attack near Damascus kills hundreds of people. However, it is widely believed that he kept some of the weapons and was accused of using them again in subsequent years.
Turkey says allies have captured northern town
official of turkey, Syria, the Syrian opposition’s main backer against Assad, claims its allies have taken full control of the northern Syrian city of Manbij from US-backed and Kurdish-led forces known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). I am doing it.
A Turkish military armored vehicle passes through the Onkpinar border gate near the town of Kilis in southern Turkey on Monday, December 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
The SDF said Turkish drones struck the village of al-Mistliha in eastern Syria, killing 12 civilians, including six children.
Turkey views the SDF, which is made up primarily of Syrian Kurdish militias, as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency in Turkey for decades. The Self-Defense Forces are also a key ally of the United States in the war against Islamic State.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday expressed hope for a new era in Syria, where ethnic and religious groups can live in peace under an inclusive government. But he said Turkey would prevent Syria from becoming a “heaven for terrorism” and warned Islamic State and Kurdish fighters not to take advantage of the situation.
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Murrow reported from Beirut and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Susan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
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