The Syrian president’s plane has reportedly left the capital, and the Syrian Army has withdrawn from its positions in Damascus
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters operate in Aleppo province, Syria, November 27, 2024. © Getty Images / Izzettin Kasim
Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadists and other anti-government militias entered Damascus on Saturday, taking control over the Syrian capital. Flight data websites show that President Bashar Assad’s plane has left the city. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad al-Jalali has already offered cooperation “with any leadership chosen by the people,” also claiming that he remains in his home.
HTS, a group led by a former Al-Qaeda commander and previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra, launched a surprise offensive from the opposition-held province of Idlib in northern Syria just last week. Jihadists have already driven the Syrian Army from the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Al-Qusayr at the border with Lebanon.
Other opposition and militant groups operating in Syria also seized several parts of the country. The US-sponsored Free Syrian Army (FSA) has taken control of the ancient site of Palmyra, while the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also backed by the US have seized Deir ez-Zor.
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08 December 2024
10:22 GMT
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has slammed the Bashar Assad government for failing to reconcile with his people and respond to their needs after the conflict was frozen in 2020. This failure caused massive migration, which brought risks to neighboring countries and the EU, he told reporters in Doha.
“As of this morning, Syria has reached a stage where the Syrian people will shape the future of their country,” he said.
- 10:11 GMT
Russia will continue to support the Syrian people if they need it, the vice speaker of the Russian parliament’s upper chamber, Konstantin Kosachev, has said. The senator added, however, that it’s unlikely this will be possible “under the conditions of full-scale civil war,” which he said “the Syrians will have to deal with on their own.”
He went on to call the Syrian conflict “a very difficult thing,” predicting that the “civil war won’t end today because there is too much opposition of interests and too much opposition of forces,” including terrorist groups.
- 09:56 GMT
The Israeli military has declared “closed military zones” on the Syrian border in a number of settlements on the occupied Golan Heights as part of an effort to increase security. It has told farmers that they will be allowed in some areas “for periods of a few hours, based on military necessity” and only in coordination with the IDF.
- 09:36 GMT
The US will maintain its footprint in eastern Syria and make efforts to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), including by working with Washington’s regional partners, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro has told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain.
- 09:23 GMT
The Iraqi embassy in Damascus has been evacuated as jihadists have taken over the Syrian capital, INA News has reported.
- 09:14 GMT
Lebanon’s security service has closed two checkpoints on the Syrian border, blocking the road with barbed wire, a local military source has told RT. The only open remaining point of entry to Lebanon remains at the Masna checkpoint, some 30km west of Damascus.
- 08:53 GMT
Jihadists and their supporters have entered the Iranian Embassy in Damascus while engaging in looting and vandalism, according to a clip shared by Sabereen News.
- 08:39 GMT
Unverified videos on social media appear to show elements of the Syrian military, including Soviet-era tanks and armored vehicles, surrendering to Iraq at the country’s border.
Mass Defection: Syrian Soldiers Cross into Iraq, Hand Over ArmsAmid a successful and coordinated rebel offensive from the north, south, and east, thousands Syrian soldiers are reportedly crossing the Al-Qa'im border checkpoint into Iraq today. Seeking asylum, these soldiers… pic.twitter.com/1T7c6Ygjd2
— Intel Drop (@IntelDrop_) December 7, 2024
- 08:03 GMT
Several statues of Hafez Assad, the Syrian president’s father, have been toppled across Syria, according to footage on social media.
Hafez Al Assad statue toppled just kilometres from Damascus It’s so over Assad is about to fall pic.twitter.com/PhiD9rrvpy
— Drew Pavlou (@DrewPavlou) December 7, 2024
One of the monuments was torn down by a booing crowd in the Damascus suburb, while the other was apparently dismantled in the port city of Latakia.
Syrian Rebels Topple Assad Regime as Uprising SpreadsThe Assad regime has fallen! Syrian rebels now control Damascus’ TV center, and statues of Hafez al-Assad are being torn down in Latakia. Loyalist strongholds are no more as the uprising spreads across the nation. #Syria… pic.twitter.com/GmKfraY34x
— Sneha Mordani (@snehamordani) December 8, 2024
- 07:46 GMT
All flights in and out of the Damascus airport have been suspended amid the turmoil in the Syrian capital, according to a NOTAM communication to pilots and air traffic control.
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