▲ Fighters patrol a street in the city of Daraa, which they control, in southern Syria.Photo Afp
Ap, Afp, Europa Press, Sputnik, Reuters and Xinhua
La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, December 8, 2024, p. 16
Beirut. The Syrian army command notified its officers that President Bashar al Assad was overthrown yesterday following the lightning offensive commanded by pro-Turkish fighters led by the Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) group, who announced that they had captured Damascus, marking the end of his family’s 50-year reign.
Assad left by plane from the capital to an unknown destination, two military commanders informed the British news agency Reuters, while Rami Abdurrahman, of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, assured the American agency AP that Al Assad left the country.
Our forces began to enter the city. Tyrant Bashar al Assad has fled; we declare Damascus freeannounced the HTS movement. The entry of the militants into the capital was also confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
At press time, the Qatari news network Al Jazeera reported that gunshots were heard in the capital and chaos and riots were witnessed at the Damascus airport. He added that, according to the combatants’ report, they took over the Public Radio and Television building in the heart of the capital. HTS leader Abu Mohammad al Jolani called on his troops to leave state institutions without causing damage and said they would remain for now under the supervision of Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali.
For his part, Jalali assured in a statement released on video that the government was willing to extend your hand to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.
The pace of events has stunned Arab capitals, raising fears of a new wave of regional instability, Reuters reported.
Following the collapse of Al Assad’s government, Syrian reports claim that Israeli tanks crossed the border into Syria from the Golan Heights. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Tel Aviv forces advanced into the buffer zone in the Quneitra area and launched artillery bombardments. Israel had no comment.
For its part, Hezbollah withdrew its forces from around Damascus in the face of the offensive against its ally Al Assad, an informant close to the Lebanese group told the French news agency Afp.
Sources from the combatants reported to the Europa Press agency on condition of anonymity that Al Assad offered the United States the possibility of cutting all relations with the pro-Iranian militias in exchange for the Western powers, led by Washington, to intervene to put an end. to the offensive of combatants.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed alGolani, 42, led an al Qaeda affiliate in Syria called the Nusra Front for 12 years, but distanced himself from that organization in an attempt to win over international governments and religious and ethnic minorities. of the country by presenting himself as a defender of pluralism and tolerance.
Washington labeled the new group a terrorist organization. In addition, he established a reward of 10 million dollars for his leader.
Since the combatants announced this week the capture of the city of Homs, they described the event as an historic victory. The loss of said town was a devastating blow for Al Assad, as it opened the way to Damascus, recaptured by government troops in 2018 after a siege of several years.
The Syrian president’s forces, which have significant military backing from Russia and Iran, have never lost so many cities in such a short time since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, which left more than 500,000 dead.
The White House published a brief statement after the events, and announced that President Joe Biden and his team They closely follow the extraordinary eventswhile Washington’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, stated that the United States wants to ensure that the fighting in Syria does not lead to a resurgence of the Islamic State or a humanitarian catastrophe.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that Syrian territory cannot fall into the hands of terrorists; while the United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for urgent talks in Geneva to guarantee a orderly political transition.