Syria

[phkrause]

US airstrikes on Syria kill 37 militants affiliated with extremist groups

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military says 37 militants in Syria affiliated with the Islamic State group and an al-Qaeda-linked group were killed in two U.S. airstrikes. It says senior militants are among the dead. U.S. Central Command said it struck northwestern Syria on Tuesday targeting a senior militant from the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen group and eight others. They say he was responsible for overseeing military operations. Central Command said the airstrike would disrupt the Islamic State group’s capability to conduct operations against U.S. interests and allies. An earlier airstrike targeted an IS training camp and killed 28 militants, including “at least four Syrian leaders.” Some 900 U.S. forces are in Syria, mostly trying to prevent any comeback by the extremist IS group.

https://localnews8.com/news/2024/09/29/u-s-airstrikes-on-syria-kill-37-militants-affiliated-with-extremist-groups/

[phkrause]

Syrian rebels enter Aleppo for first time in eight years during shock offensive

Syrian opposition forces have entered Aleppo just three days into their surprise offensive, marking the first time they have set foot in the country’s second-largest city since government forces recaptured the city in 2016.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/29/world/syria-rebels-aleppo-war-intl?

In a shock offensive, insurgents breach Syria’s largest city for the first time since 2016

BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents breached Syria’s largest city Friday and clashed with government forces for the first time since 2016, according to a war monitor and fighters, in a surprise attack that sent residents fleeing and added fresh uncertainty to a region reeling from multiple wars.

https://apnews.com/article/syria-attack-clashes-aleppo-9c07da6f83036f34d4b18a479de9d085?

[phkrause]

🇸🇾 Syrian rebels take Aleppo

Opposition fighters sit by a fire in the streets of Aleppo late last night. Photo: Ghaith Alsayed/AP Several armed Syrian opposition groups have taken control of almost all of Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria, according to a war monitoring group and reports from the city. Why it matters: The breach of Aleppo is a dramatic shift in the 13-year Syrian civil war — and raises the possibility of a new front of violence in the Middle East, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. The rebels' gain in Aleppo is a huge blow to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and his Russian and Iranian backers. The attack on the city took place while Assad is visiting Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin today.

[phkrause]

The 13-year civil war in Syria roars back into prominence with a surprise rebel offensive on Aleppo The rebel gains in one of Syria’s largest cities and an ancient business hub has raised the prospect of another violent front reopening in the Middle East, at a time when U.S.-backed Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both Iranian-allied groups. Read more.

What to know: Insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched the two-pronged attack in which they seized Aleppo last week and moved into the countryside around Idlib and neighboring Hama province. The Syrian military has rushed reinforcements and launched airstrikes as they attempted to stall their momentum. The push is among the rebels’ strongest in years.   Syrian President Bashar Assad has been at war with opposition forces seeking his overthrow for 13 years, a conflict that’s killed an estimated half-million people. Some 6.8 million Syrians have fled the country, a refugee flow that helped change the political map in Europe by fueling anti-immigrant far-right movements.   Intervention by Russia, Iran and Iranian-allied Hezbollah and other groups has allowed Assad to remain in power, within the 70% of Syria under his control. The roughly 30% of the country not under Assad is controlled by a range of opposition forces and foreign troops. The U.S. has about 900 troops in northeast Syria, far from Aleppo, to guard against a resurgence by the Islamic State.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Iraqi militias deploy in Syria to back government’s counteroffensive against insurgents   An Israeli strike in Gaza kills World Central Kitchen workers. Israel says 1 was an Oct. 7 attacker   The International Criminal Court is facing pushback and doubts as its member states meet   Syria Syrian and Russian jets are stepping up strikes on opposition forces in northern Syria in retaliation for the sudden offensive that has cost the regime control of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city. The offensive has also led to the capture by the rebel alliance of an important military base east of Aleppo and large areas of both Aleppo and Idlib provinces. The advances have been met with little resistance on the ground from regime forces and also come at a time when Syria’s key backers — Iran and Russia — are focusing on their own conflicts. The rebels’ sweeping success has posed the biggest challenge in eight years to President Bashar al-Assad, when Russian air power helped reverse rebel gains in the civil war.

[phkrause]

Syrian rebels capture Hama, a city with a dark history The country’s fourth-largest city is known for its quaint waterwheels, a landmark attraction along the banks of the Orontes River. In the early 1980s, the city’s name became synonymous with killings. It was the scene of Muslim Brotherhood-led anti-government attacks that targeted military officers, state institutions and ruling party offices. On Feb. 2, 1982, Hafez Assad, then president of Syria, launched what came to be known as the Hama Massacre. Read more.

Why this matters: The rebels' takeover of the central city carries great symbolism in Syria’s civil war, which began 13 years ago but many say is rooted in Hama. Between 10,000 to 40,000 people were killed or disappeared in the government attack back then. The memory of the assault and the monthlong siege, which at the time was a stronghold of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood, remains visceral in Syrian and Arab minds. Now Islamist insurgents have captured the city, tearing down a poster of Hafez Assad’s son, President Bashar Assad, and swarming security and government offices — scenes unimaginable 40 years ago   Hama is a major intersection that links the country’s center with the north as well as the east and the coast. It is about 125 miles north of the capital, Damascus, Assad’s seat of power. Hama province also borders the coastal province of Latakia, a main base of popular support for Assad. The region is predominantly Sunni Muslim but also has a minority from the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, to which Assad’s family belongs.   In a video message Thursday, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the de facto leader of the Syrian insurgency, announced that fighters had reached Hama “to clean the wound that has bled for 40 years.” One of the fighters’ first moves was to free prisoners from the city’s central prison. Next stop for them is Homs, which analysts say would be a game-changer if it falls into rebel hands – and insurgent groups have already said they are advancing toward. The central city connects the capital to the coast, where Assad has his base and his village of origin, and is home to a Russian naval base.

Related coverage ➤ Syrian insurgents enter 2 central towns, bringing them closer to Homs  Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani?   The key players in Syria’s long-running civil war

[phkrause]

🇸🇾 Assad regime collapses

A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pictured with its frame broken in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama. Photo: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images Syrian rebel groups seized control of the capital city of Damascus today and declared the country to be "free," following the capture of several major cities in a lightning offensive over the past several weeks. Why it matters: The rebels' move into Damascus with no meaningful resistance marks the collapse of the Assad regime, which has clung to power through 14 years of civil war, Axios' Barak Ravid writes.   Syrians celebrate the end of the Assad family’s half-century rule Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, putting an end to the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule but raising questions about the future of the country and the wider region. Read more. The latest: President Bashar al-Assad has left Syria, Russia's foreign ministry said today. The Russian ministry claimed Assad resigned and gave his prime minister orders for a peaceful transition of power. An Israeli official told Axios that Assad left Damascus around midnight last night and flew to a Russian base in Syria intending to continue from there to Moscow. Zoom out: It's a stunning development and another major regional earthquake after a year of war in the Middle East. There could also be implications for Syria's allies, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, which helped keep Assad in power after the 2011 uprising. Screenshot via CNN Joyful crowds gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, AP reports. The prime minister of the Assad regime, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, said in a statement from his home in Damascus that he was not leaving Syria and was willing to transfer power peacefully. He called for all Syrians, including the opposition, not to damage state institutions or harm anyone. Shortly after Al-Jalali's statement, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani — the leader of the Islamist rebel group HTS — called on all rebel groups in Damascus to stay away from government institutions. Follow this story.

[phkrause]

Mideast's new map

The stunning collapse of Syria's Assad regime has sent tremors throughout the Middle East and the wider world, launching a new chapter in a great power struggle that has shaped the region for decades, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: The culmination of 14 years of war in Syria was accelerated by 14 months of war between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed proxies allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The architect of Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack, Yahya Sinwar, envisioned his "big project" leading to the destruction of Israel by the pro-Iranian "axis of resistance." By the same token, Russian President Vladimir Putin — a key Assad backer — saw his invasion of Ukraine as the crown jewel in more than a decade of efforts to reclaim Russia's superpower status. Both turned out to be historic miscalculations — with no clearer evidence than the astonishing fall of an Assad family regime on Sunday that had ruled Syria, father then son, for 53 years. Via X Both President Biden and President-elect Trump — and many spies, diplomats and defense officials personally involved in the tumultuous events of the past year — agree that Assad was doomed by the weakening of his allies, Russia and Iran. After Oct. 7, when much of the world was still reeling from the Hamas attack, Iran and its proxies "chose to launch a multi-front war against Israel," Biden said in a speech from the White House yesterday. "That was a historic mistake on Iran's part," the president declared. 🔭 The big picture: Oct. 7 represented the worst security failure in Israel's history. But in the year since, Iran's axis of resistance has suffered a series of catastrophic blows: Hezbollah: Iran's most armed and trained proxy lost its charismatic and powerful leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an Israeli airstrike. Hezbollah's military infrastructure has been significantly degraded. The Lebanese group agreed to a ceasefire with Israel last month under extremely unfavorable terms. Hamas: Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip for over a year, destroying Hamas military infrastructure and killing Sinwar and countless other top military officials. Iran: The Islamic Republic was attacked directly by Israel for the first time — and suddenly found itself vulnerable after losing much of its missile production capability and sophisticated air defense systems. A family selfie on a couch in a hall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, yesterday. Photo: Hussein Malla/AP 👀 What to watch: What comes next is deeply uncertain. The direction of any future rebel-led government will be closely watched by the U.S., Russia, Israel, Iran and the many other countries hit by 14 years of war. The dominance of Islamist groups — including former affiliates of al-Qaeda — has left the international community on edge, as well as some minority communities who felt safer under Assad. But for now, millions of Syrians are celebrating the chance to write their own future.

[phkrause]

🚨 Syria chemical weapons fears

The U.S. is working with several other countries in the Middle East to prevent chemical weapons possessed by the Assad regime from falling into the wrong hands, a U.S. official told reporters.

• Why it matters: The U.S. and its allies are concerned that the collapse of the Syrian army and other security forces — and the chaos engulfing the country — will allow terrorist groups to seize dangerous weapons held by the Assad regime, Axios' Barak Ravid writes.

The Assad regime used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians in 2013, violating the "red line" President Obama had set a year earlier when discussing what would trigger U.S. military intervention.

A Syrian opposition fighter sits in an office at the Presidential Palace yesterday after the Syrian government collapsed. Photo: Omar Sanadiki/AP

What they're saying: As the Syrian rebels were making their way to Damascus on Saturday, they issued a statement from their joint war room stressing that they had no interest in the Assad regime's chemical weapons.

• The rebels said they would treat the Assad regime's military bases and facilities with responsibility, pledging to secure infrastructure and not allow it to fall into the wrong hands.

[phkrause]

💡 Hope for missing journalist in Syria

President Biden told reporters yesterday that the U.S. believes American journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing in Syria for 12 years, is alive and that "we think we can get him back," Axios' Zachary Basu writes.

• State of play: The collapse of the Assad regime and the emptying of political prisons in Syria has raised new hope for the release of Tice, a freelance journalist who was abducted while reporting on the civil war in 2012.

"We remain committed to returning him to his family," Biden said, though he cautioned that the U.S. doesn't have "direct evidence" of his condition.

• The Tice family told Axios in a statement: "We encourage everyone to help us in our search for Austin. As a family, we are all in D.C. working for his fast and safe return."

🖼️ The big picture: Countless political prisoners and Syrians disappeared into the country's vast and shadowy detention system over the Assad family's five-decade rule. Many are now being reunited with their families.

• Keep reading.

 

Assad is granted political asylum in Russia after the fall of Damascus Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russian media said Sunday, hours after a stunning rebel advance seized control of Damascus and ended his family’s 50 years of iron rule. The Kremlin confirmed Assad’s political asylum Monday. Read more.

What to know: Russian President Vladimir Putin personally made the decision to offer asylum to Assad, Kremlin spokesperson 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 rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. The swiftly moving events also raise questions about the future of the country and the wider region. President Joe Biden called the fall of Assad a “fundamental act of justice” but also a “moment of risk and uncertainty,” and said rebel groups are “saying the right things now” but the U.S. would assess their actions.   Israel 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, the foreign minister said Monday. Israelis have welcomed the fall of Assad, who was a key ally of Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, while expressing concern over what comes next.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Syrian rebels free prisoners from Assad’s notorious dungeons   Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain   How it happened: Two seismic weeks that toppled Syria’s government   Syria civil war The long rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is over after rebels swept into the capital of Damascus on Sunday. Assad and his family are known for a brutal dictatorship, which since 2011 has been devastated by a civil war that turned it into a breeding ground for the extremist group ISIS while sparking a refugee crisis that saw millions displaced from their homes. Assad's removal was celebrated by Syrians as the ousted leader fled to Russia. President Joe Biden vowed to support the region amid a moment of instability. The US military said it struck more than 75 ISIS targets in the country on Sunday to prevent the terrorist group from taking advantage of the situation there.

[phkrause]

Assad’s downfall is a humbling blow to Russia. How will it affect Putin’s prestige?

Almost exactly seven years ago, President Vladimir Putin stood with Russian troops at their air base in Syria and proudly declared victory over “terrorists” in that country as part of the Kremlin’s military intervention to prop up the government of Bashar Assad amid a civil war.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-putin-syria-assad-ukraine-war-31fa9b933372b3704ed285c96863892b?

 

💥 How Syria changed everything

The Syrian revolution has quietly played a seismic role in the trajectory of the 21st century, transforming global politics with shock waves still echoing 13 years after the Arab Spring, Axios' Zachary Basu writes.

• Why it matters: The fall of Bashar al-Assad has ushered in an unpredictable new era not only for Syria and the Middle East, but for the great powers that have long treated the region as a battleground.

🖼️ The big picture: Syria's 2011 uprising marked an inflection point in the history of global conflict, wedged between the Iraq War in 2003 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

• What began as an anti-government protest movement devolved into one of the bloodiest civil wars of the modern era, with an estimated death toll of more than 500,000 people.
• More than 14 million Syrians were forced to flee their homes amid Assad's brutal crackdown, with many finding refuge in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.
• Millions also sought asylum in Europe — exacerbating the 2015 migrant crisis and giving rise to far-right forces that have since gained a foothold in governments across the continent.

🔎 Zoom in: Into Syria's power vacuum stepped the Islamic State, whose barbaric brand of jihad terrorized the world as it conquered vast amounts of territory in both Syria and Iraq.

• Go deeper: Assad joins list of toppled leaders 13 years after Arab Spring ...

[phkrause]

Thousands scour Syria’s most horrific prison but find no sign of their loved ones  After the fall of their longtime tormentor, former Syrian President Bashar Assad, the first place many rushed to was Saydnaya Prison, looking for signs of loved ones who disappeared years or even decades ago into the secretive, sprawling complex just outside Damascus. The prison is a place so notorious for its horrors that it was known as “the slaughterhouse.” Read more.

What to know: On Monday, people opened the heavy iron doors lining the prison hallways to find cells inside empty. With sledgehammers, shovels and drills, men pounded holes in floors and walls, looking for what they believed were secret dungeons, or chasing sounds they thought they heard from underground. They found nothing. Insurgents freed dozens of people from Saydnaya on Sunday, when Damascus fell. Since then, almost no one has been found.   During Assad’s rule and particularly after the 2011 protests began, any hint of dissent could land someone in Saydnaya. Few ever emerged. In 2017, Amnesty International estimated that 10,000-20,000 people were being held there at the time “from every sector of society.” It said they were effectively slated for “extermination.” Around 150,000 people were detained or went missing in Syria since 2011 — and tens of thousands of them are believed to have gone through Saydnaya.   Thousands were killed in frequent mass executions, Amnesty reported, citing testimony from freed prisoners and prison officials. Prisoners were subjected to constant torture, intense beatings and rape. Almost daily, guards did rounds of the cells to collect bodies of inmates who had died overnight from injuries, disease or starvation. Some inmates fell into psychosis and starved themselves, the human rights group said.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US indictment accuses two Syrian officials of torture at notorious prison   Here’s how the US is countering the Islamic State group during Syria’s upheaval   Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for intel chief, faces questions on Capitol Hill amid Syria fallout

[phkrause]

💥 Trump's Syria conundrum

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Getty Images

For all their differences on Syria, President Biden and President-elect Trump are unlikely to handle the situation in radically different ways, Axios' Colin Demarest writes. Why it matters: Instead, expect shades of change between administrations — despite the isolationist banner Trump carried in the recent campaign. Biden has 40 days and a wake-up left in office. So how the U.S. proceeds will largely be up to Trump. While the president-elect has said Syria "is a mess" and his base may support steering clear of Syria's chaos, certain national security officials won't. "Going forward, there's a pretty good chance his advisers say: 'Look, Mr. President, this ISIS problem is pretty serious. We need to take it seriously,'" Brian Carter, the Middle East portfolio manager at American Enterprise Institute, told Axios. 👀 What we're watching: Some 900 U.S. troops are stationed in Syria, where they're charged with rooting out ISIS. Trump might want to pull them out — he's promised to "end endless wars," a hazy metric. But he tried that in Syria during his first term — and wound up keeping hundreds of troops there to protect oil fields. Keep reading ...

[phkrause]

Israeli warplanes pound Syria as troops reportedly advance deeper into the country Israel carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Syria as its troops advanced deeper into the country, a Syrian opposition war monitor said. Israel acknowledged pushing into a buffer zone inside Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. Read more.

Why this matters: Israeli forces moved into a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) buffer zone inside Syria that was established after the 1973 Mideast war, a move it said was taken to prevent attacks on its citizens.   The Israeli military said that it carried out more than 350 strikes in Syria over the last 48 hours, hitting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” to stop them from falling into the hands of extremists.    There was no immediate comment from the insurgent groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, that have taken control of much of the country. Members of the ousted Syrian government will gradually transfer power to a new transitional cabinet headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. Outgoing officials met for the first time Tuesday with al-Bashir, who told reporters that the transitional period would last until the beginning of March.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 29, Palestinian medics say   These Palestinians disappeared after encounters with Israeli troops in Gaza   Humanitarian aid to northern Gaza mostly blocked for the last 2 months, UN says

[phkrause]

Syria civil war

Many in Syria are celebrating the stunning political fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad that caught much of the world off guard. A rebel-linked caretaker prime minister has since been appointed to oversee the transition of power. Analysts say those rebels must now try to unite a country cleaved apart by more than a decade of civil war, one in which dozens of heavily armed militias and remnants of the old regime linger. Meanwhile, Israel said it struck Syria nearly 500 times in just two days, hitting most of the country's strategic weapons stockpiles and destroying the Syrian Navy fleet. The UN's special envoy for Syria has urged Israel to stop striking the country.

[phkrause]

America’s closest ally in Syria is losing ground as a new order takes shape

The jihadi rebels who toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad say they want to build a unified, inclusive country. But after nearly 14 years of civil war, putting that ideal into practice will not be easy.

https://apnews.com/article/syria-war-assad-kurds-rebels-turkey-us-2b4af609c4dcf853ac6d7a22d3dccf5d?

[phkrause]

Concern over Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile triggers emergency meeting of global monitor In a rare move, the global chemical weapons watchdog opened an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation in Syria over concerns about the country’s stockpile of toxic chemicals, hoping that under a new government, some of its 80 inspectors may be allowed to pursue investigations into Syria’s chemical weapons program. Read more.

What to know: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Monday told Syria that it is under obligations to comply with rules to safeguard and destroy dangerous substances, such as chlorine gas, after rebels entered the capital, Damascus, over the weekend. The last time the OPCW called an extraordinary meeting was in 2018, in response to the chemical attack on Douma, a town close to Damascus, when some 40 people were killed by poison gas.   Bashar Assad’s government has denied using chemical weapons but the OPCW found evidence indicating their repeated use by Syria in the grinding civil war. Earlier this year, the organization found the Islamic State group had used mustard gas against the town of Marea.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ American pilgrim imprisoned in Assad’s Syria calls his release from prison a ‘blessing’   Middle East latest: Blinken urges Mideast nations to support a peaceful Syrian political transition   ‘The Bibi Files,’ with leaked Netanyahu footage, can’t be seen in Israel. Israelis are finding ways

[phkrause]

Syria

Rebel leader Mohammad al-Jolani urged Syrians to celebrate the fall of the Assad regime without firing shots after accidental gunfire caused deadly chaos in the northern city of Raqqa. Jolani's message comes after hundreds of people took to the streets of Raqqa on Thursday to celebrate the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad and a man lost control of his machine gun, mistakenly opening fire on bystanders. At least one person was killed and 15 wounded, according to a local journalist and witnesses. Additionally, more than 1 million people have been displaced across Syria since the collapse of the Assad regime, the UN estimates. Food shortages are widespread in Aleppo, the second-largest city, it said.

[phkrause]

Jubilant Syrians crowd squares for victory rallies

Thousands of Syrians have thronged the streets of the capital, Damascus, and other cities to celebrate the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cge9gd1n5nno?

[phkrause]

Many members of the ousted Syrian President's inner circle are nowhere to be found After insurgents toppled President Bashar Assad this month, many senior officials and members of his dreaded intelligence and security services appear to have melted away. Activists say some of them have managed to flee the country while others went to hide in their hometowns. Read more.

Why this matters: The Assad family has ruled Syria with an iron grip, locking up those who question their power in the country’s notorious prisons, where rights groups say inmates were regularly tortured or killed. The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham insurgent group, which led anti-government fighters who forced Assad from power, has vowed to bring those who carried out such abuses to justice and has said the group will ask foreign countries to hand over any suspects.   But finding those responsible for abuses could prove difficult. According to two Lebanese security officials and a judicial official, some 8,000 Syrian citizens have entered Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing recently, and about 5,000 have left the neighboring country through Beirut’s international airport.   Most of those are presumed to be regular people. Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said earlier this week that no Syrian official entered Lebanon through a legal border crossing. But Rami Abdurrhaman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says several senior officers have made it to Lebanon using travel documents with fake names.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Death toll in Gaza Strip from Israel-Hamas war tops 45,000, Palestinians say   Christians in Syria mark country’s transformation with tears as UN envoy urges an end to sanctions   Candid photos of Assad found after his fall spark ridicule

[phkrause]

Syria’s ousted leader Assad says he wanted to keep fighting but Russian allies evacuated him

DAMASCUS (AP) — Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad said Monday he wanted to stay in the country after rebels captured the capital, but the Russian military evacuated him from their base in western Syria after it came under attack.

https://apnews.com/article/syria-war-assad-russia-news-16-december-2024-72a8e44f762da2ff78434ff76faeb633?

[phkrause]

What Assad’s fall has revealed about Syria’s trade in the stimulant drug Captagon

BEIRUT (AP) — Since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, industrial-scale manufacturing facilities of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon have been uncovered around the country, which experts say fed a $10 billion annual global trade in the highly addictive drug.

https://apnews.com/article/syria-captagon-bashar-assad-97c57e94b9cbc1bdc91926b7e85dc981?

[phkrause]

What will Syria’s future look like? The answer could lie in other Arab countries’ recent pasts Even with hopes running high, so much can go wrong when a country ousts a longtime dictator and tries to start anew. The Middle Eastern and North African nations that attempted to transition to democracy in recent years can attest to that. Now it’s Syria’s turn to try to get it right. Read more.

Key points: It’s hard to draw lessons from the experiences of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Sudan since the wave of Arab Spring uprisings. But there are common themes. In some cases, “the Revolution” was lost when armed factions battled it out for power or an ambitious would-be strongman emerged. In others, the military refused to cede control to civilians, or foreign countries fueled conflicts by backing one side with money and weapons.   So far, Syria’s transition has been surprisingly smooth. But it’s only been two weeks since President Bashar Assad was toppled, and many of those same dangers lurk in the background. The insurgents who ousted Assad are rooted in extremist Islamist ideology, and though they have vowed to create a pluralist system, it isn’t clear how or whether they plan to share power.   Other armed factions — or even remnants of Assad’s feared security forces — could lash out. It remains to be seen whether the Kurds, who hold autonomous rule in the east, will be brought back into the fold, especially when Turkey fiercely opposes the main faction. Groups such as the Alawites, to whom Assad’s family belongs, fear being squeezed out of any role, or worse, being targeted for revenge.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ AP PHOTOS: Glimpses of horror emerge inside Syria’s Saydnaya prison, dubbed ‘The Slaughterhouse’   In Assad’s hometown, few shared in his family’s fortune. They hope they won’t share in his downfall   Thousands of Syrian doctors work in Germany. It hopes they will stay after Assad’s fall

[phkrause]

Kurdish-led forces push back Turkish-backed Syrian rebels in a tense offensive

QAMISHLI, Syria (AP) — Kurdish-led fighters in Syria, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, said Tuesday they have launched a counter-offensive against the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army to take back areas near Syria’s northern border with Turkey.

https://apnews.com/article/syria-kurds-turkey-sdf-manbij-kobani-84928d1755cc09c239fe00074291ff0f?

[phkrause]

Now Syria’s long-ruling Baath party is collapsing, too  A few days after insurgents in Syria overthrew President Bashar Assad, his ruling Arab Socialist Baath Party announced it was freezing its activities, marking a stunning change in fortunes for the political group that had ruled for more than six decades. Many members of the party’s leadership have gone into hiding and some have fled the country. Read more.

Why this matters: In Syria, the Baath party became inextricably associated with the Assad family, which took power in 1970. For decades, the family used the party and its pan-Arab ideology to control the country. Many Syrians were required to join the Baath Vanguards, the party’s youth branch, while in elementary school. It was difficult for people who were not party members to get government jobs or join the army or the security and intelligence services.   Calls are on the rise to officially dissolve the Baath party that had ruled Syria since 1963. Many Syrians — including former party members — say its rule damaged relations with other Arab countries and aided in the spread of corruption that brought the war-torn nation to its knees. In a symbolic move, Syria’s new rulers have turned the former party headquarters in Damascus into a center where former members of the army and security forces line up to register their names and hand over their weapons.    An official with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the group that led the insurgent offensive that overthrew Assad, said no official decision has been made on what to do with the Baath party. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa has said that officials who committed crimes against the Syrian people over the past decades will be brought to justice and hinted that they include party members.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Syria’s de facto leader says it could take up to 4 years to hold elections   In Gaza’s crowded tent camps, women wrestle with a life stripped of privacy   The Taliban say they will close all NGOs employing Afghan women

[phkrause]

Syria’s dwindling Jewish community can visit one of the world’s oldest synagogues again

JOBAR, Syria (AP) — In this Damascus suburb, the handful of remaining Jews in Syria can again make pilgrimages to one of the world’s oldest synagogues where people from throughout the region once came to pray.

https://apnews.com/article/syria-jews-jobar-synagogue-assad-damascus-5ce2e3900c62792072836274b3aaf75e?