They loot the presidential palace in the capital // Bashar turned the country into a farm for the greed of Iran // We will reach out to a transition, says the prime minister
Ap, Afp, Sputnik, Xinhua and The Independent
La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, December 9, 2024, p. 20
Damascus. The leader of the pro-Turkish group Hayat Tahrir Sham (HTS), Abu Mohamed Jolani, yesterday described victory for the islamic nation the overthrow of Bashar al Assad, while thousands of Syrians celebrated in the streets the end of 50 years of rule by the Assad family, and thousands crossed the border into Lebanon.
In his first appearance, Al Jolani visited the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, where, using his real name, Ahmed Sharaa, he told hundreds of people that Al Assad turned Syria into a farm for the greed of Iran.
Enthusiastic crowds gathered in the central squares of Damascus, waving the revolutionary flag in scenes reminiscent of the early days of the arab springbefore it was put down and fighters emerged, leading the country into a nearly 14-year civil war.
Bachir Khodr, governor of the Lebanese province of Baalbek-Hermel, reported that Thousands of people crossed the border in the Hermel region, fleeing the offensive of the armed opposition in Syria.
According to the governor, the majority of the refugees are supporters of the deposed Syrian government and adhere to the Shiite confession or are Alawites, like Al Assad.
In Damascus, the presidential palace and the residence of the Al Assad family were looted after the now former president and other senior officials disappeared.
The Iranian embassy in Damascus was looted after apparently being abandoned. Images from the AP agency showed broken windows and documents scattered in the lobby.
Al Jolani, a former al Qaeda commander who severed ties with the group years ago and said he embraced pluralism and religious tolerance, leads the largest rebel faction and is positioned to chart the country’s future direction.
The end of Al Assad’s government is a major blow to Iran and its allies, weakened after more than a year of conflict with Israel.
The Syrian Prime Minister, Mohamed Ghazu Jalali, explained in an interview for the Al Arabiya channel that the government is willing to cooperate with any force elected by the peopleand assured that his last contact with the deposed president was on Saturday afternoon.
▲ Fighter celebrates in Damascus over the remains of a statue of Hafez al Assad, father of ousted Syrian president Bashar al Assad.Photo Ap
In a video statement, he said the government was ready to reach out to the opposition and transfer its functions to a transitional government.
A video shared on Syrian opposition media showed a group of armed men escorting him out of his office to the Four Seasons Hotel.
Meanwhile, the political bodies of the opposition until now began to draw the lines of a political future for the country.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights detailed that 910 people, including 138 civilians, have been killed since the rebels launched a lightning offensive on November 27, which culminated in the capture of Damascus and the flight of Al Assad, the group based in Syria reported. in the United Kingdom.
The alliance led by the HTS group imposed a curfew in Damascus, from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m.the newspaper reported Al Watan on its website, without specifying how long the measure will last.
The rebels face the task of healing deep divisions in a country devastated by war and still divided between different armed factions.
Early yesterday state television broadcast a video in which a group of rebels announced that Al Assad was overthrown and that prisoners in several prisons were released, AP and Al Jazeera reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his forces took over a buffer zone in the Golan Heights created after the 1974 truce with Syria, as a temporary defensive measure.
Israeli warplanes launched multiple strikes against former Syrian government military and security sites in and around Damascus, as well as targets in the southwestern province of Quneitra, reported The Times of Israel.
According to Defense sources, among the weapons that the planes hit included advanced missile warehouses, air defense systems and chemical weapons production facilities.