Russia Granted Asylum to Assad and His Family – How Changing the Status Quo in Syria Affects the Middle East –

Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow, Russian news agencies report citing a Kremlin source.

Russia grants asylum to Syria’s Assad and his family.

There was much speculation about Assad’s whereabouts after reports that he fled Damascus before the rebels arrived there this morning. Russia, one of Assad’s closest allies, confirmed earlier today that he had left Syria, but did not say where he was or whether Moscow had given him sanctuary.

The flight tracking service “FlightRadar 24” recorded a Syrian Airlines plane taking off from Damascus airport at the time of its capture by the anti-regime forces. It then appears to make a U-turn over the city of Homs and disappear.

How changing the status quo in Syria affects the Middle East

Assad fell because of two wars: Israel’s which, by weakening Hezbollah, limited the influence and power of Shiite Iran, changing the balance in the Middle East with fatal consequences for Syria, and Russia’s choosing to focus on the Ukraine war due to developments that Trump’s coming to power holds

The free throw came from Turkey. Seeing Assad powerless, it backed Islamist rebels and regained influence in Syria by proxy, implementing part of Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman vision.

But the dust from all these reshuffles in the Middle East has not yet settled. Israel is already taking steps to neutralize the jihadist threat on its borders: it has entered the buffer zone inside the Golan Heights from the Syrian side and is bombing weapons and chemical depots in Damascus to prevent them from falling into their hands.

Turkey is asked to decide what to do with the Kurds of Syria, whether Iran will retreat to its borders and abandon threats to change its nuclear doctrine, if it does not want to face Israel and Trump and Russia, which with its attitude against Assad has damaged its international reputation as a reliable ally and partner, how it will manage from this position the end of the war in Ukraine and of course its relationship with China which is already doing its calculations.

al-Jolani arrived in Damascus – They are preparing the transitional government

Syrian Islamist rebels have announced that their leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has arrived in Damascus, hours after the capital fell to them.

“Commander Ahmed al-Shareh (a.k.a. Jolani’s real name) prostrated and kissed the country” as soon as he arrived in the city, the rebels’ Telegram channel reported.

In the footage, the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the radical organization that leads the rebel coalition, is seen bowing to a green plant.

“Our will is firm and our resolve unshakable,” Al-Jolani said in a statement broadcast on state-run Syrian television, which is now controlled by the rebels. “We continue to act with determination to achieve the goals of our revolution,” he continued. “The future is ours and we are heading towards victory”, he emphasized.

Earlier today, rebel chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani said former prime minister Mohammed Jalali would continue to oversee state institutions until a formal transfer of power takes place, signaling efforts to ensure an orderly transition.

In his statement, which he signed under his real name, Ahmed al-Sara, Jolani also banned the rebel armed forces, based in Damascus, from approaching public institutions, while also forbidding them to fire into the air.

In an interview with the Al Arabiya network, Jalali, who was appointed prime minister by Assad in September, said he had contacted al-Sara to discuss the management of the transition period and added that free elections should be held in Syria. .

Jalali stated that he remains in his home and that he is ready to support the continuation of the government.

Syrian Telecommunications Minister Iyad al-Khatib said in an interview with Al Arabiya that he contacted a representative of al-Sara’s rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who is in charge of telecommunications services. They agreed that telecommunications and the Internet will continue to work, al-Khatib said.

Syrian rebels advanced toward Damascus as front lines collapsed across the country, posing an existential threat to President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule pic.twitter.com/Cyvcw240cY

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 8, 2024

Russia’s decade long effort to prop up Syrian dictator Assad has failed, with rebels in full control after only one week fighting.

Inside Assad’s presidential palace, Damascus. pic.twitter.com/wHVqtezBfq

— KyivPost (@KyivPost) December 8, 2024

They plan the transitional government

The Syrian rebel coalition, after the Assad regime fell in a flash, announced it was continuing talks to complete the transfer of power in Syria to a transitional government with full executive powers.

“The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of the struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build together a Syria worthy of the sacrifices of its people,” he added in a statement.

Earlier, rebel chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani said former prime minister Mohammed Jalali would continue to oversee state institutions until a formal transfer of power takes place, signaling efforts to ensure an orderly transition.

In his statement, which he signed under his real name, Ahmed al-Sara, Jolani also banned the rebel armed forces, based in Damascus, from approaching public institutions, while also forbidding them to fire into the air.

In an interview with the Al Arabiya network, Jalali, who was appointed prime minister by Assad in September, said he had contacted al-Sara to discuss the management of the transition period and added that free elections should be held in Syria. . He stated that he is ready to support government continuity.

The video below shows Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali being escorted by rebels to a hotel in Damascus to hand over power.

Extraordinary – opposition fighters from #Dara are escorting #Syria’s Prime Minister out of his office & to the Four Seasons Hotel, in a move intended to symbolize the transfer of power & removal of #Assad regime rule. pic.twitter.com/am0tT6cbl1

— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) December 8, 2024

Syrian Telecommunications Minister Iyad al-Khatib said in an interview with Al Arabiya that he contacted a representative of al-Sara’s rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who is in charge of telecommunications services. They agreed that telecommunications and the Internet will continue to work, al-Khatib said.

Syria should have an 18-month transition period to create a “safe, neutral and peaceful environment” for free elections, Hadi Al-Bahra, head of Syria’s official opposition abroad, told Reuters on Sunday.

Al-Bahra, Chairman of the Syrian National Coalition, said Syria should draw up a constitution within six months and the first election would be a referendum.

“The constitution will say, will we have a parliamentary system, a presidential system or a mixed system? And based on that, we hold the elections and the people choose their leader,” Al Bahra said on the sidelines of the Doha Forum. in Qatar

He added that the opposition asked government employees to continue reporting to work until the transition to power. He assured them that no harm would come to them.

“It was like a domino. So it was clear that (Assad) decided to leave. I felt relieved, but also a little sad. He should be held accountable for all the crimes he committed,” Al Bahra said.

Air strikes in a suburb of Damascus

At the same time, aerial bombardment, possibly by Israeli warplanes, took place at midday on Sunday in the Mazeh district located on the outskirts of Damascus in Syria. According to a Lebanese and a Syrian source cited by Reuters, explosions were heard in the area.

At the same time, aircraft, which were also allegedly Israeli, targeted the airbase of Kalhalla, which is located in southern Syria.

It is recalled that the Israeli armed forces announced that they are deploying forces in the safe zone with Syria controlled by the UN, as well as in a number of points necessary for defense in light of the latest events.

The Lebanese army also announced today that it has deployed reinforced units to the country’s northern and eastern borders in response to the current situation in Syria.

Kurds (SDF): Assad’s fall is a “historic” moment

The head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition dominated by Kurdish fighters, today hailed the “historic” moment Syrians are living in with the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, a “dictator” who came to power before almost a quarter of a century.

“We are living in historic times in Syria witnessing the fall of the dictatorial regime in Damascus,” said commander Mazloum Abdi in a statement. “This change is an opportunity to build a new Syria based on democracy and justice, which guarantees the rights of all Syrians,” he added.

Raid on the Iranian embassy

Syrian rebels stormed Iran’s embassy after capturing Damascus, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported today.

Iraq has also evacuated its embassy in Syria and moved its staff to Lebanon, the Iraqi state news agency reported today, hours after rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad and took control of the capital.

The reasons why the embassy was evacuated were not made known.

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