The fall of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria after the capture of Damascus this Sunday by the rebels opens a new scenario in the country. The international community calls for stability while considering it a "historic opportunity" for the population.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar revealed that his country has attacked suspected sites containing chemical weapons and long-range rockets in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of extremists, hours after a senior U.S. official stated that the U.S. government is working with allies in the Middle East to "destroy Assad's chemical weapons."
On Sunday evening, the U.S. bombed 75 ISIS targets in Syria to prevent the terrorist group from taking advantage of the power vacuum to reorganize. The U.S. Central Command reported that the strikes targeted ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps in central Syria.
Furthermore, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed that 26 Spaniards and Syrian family members, including personnel from the Spanish Embassy in Damascus, have left the country and are now in Lebanon.
Iran, on the other hand, blames the Syrian army for Assad's fall and claims that he did not ask for help as rebels rapidly advanced towards Damascus.
Israeli Defense Minister orders the creation of a "security zone" in southern Syria
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the military to establish a "security zone" free of heavy weapons in southern Syria, beyond the demilitarized zone between the two countries, according to a statement from his office.
Katz has also called for forces to ensure full control of the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights, where the military was deployed on Sunday following the fall of Bashar Assad's regime.
In addition to operations in the demilitarized zone, Katz has ordered the Israeli military to destroy strategic weapons, such as various types of missiles, rockets, and anti-aircraft defenses, to prevent them from falling into the hands of groups hostile to Israel.
He has also instructed forces to establish contact with the Druze communities on the border and prevent the transport of weapons from Iran to the Shiite group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
France insists that the new power in Syria must reject extremism and terrorism
France insists that the new power that has taken control in Syria must reject extremism and terrorism and promote a transition in which all minorities in the country participate and women's rights are respected.
"This transition must leave no room for extremism or terrorism," stressed French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in an interview with France Info.
Barrot pointed out that the organization leading the movement that led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the Levant Liberation Organization (HTS), although it has broken ties with Al Qaeda, "is an Islamist movement." "The initial signs show a willingness of that group to reject abuses, but we are very cautious," said the minister, who had previously emphasized that they will be "uncompromising" with their allies in the fight against terrorism.
Israel says its presence in southern Syria is "limited and temporary"
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated on Monday that the presence of Israeli troops in the demilitarized zone in Syrian territory is "limited and temporary," a necessary step for security reasons following the confusion in Syria after Bashar Assad's regime fell.
Israel deployed its troops on Sunday in the demilitarized area on the border within Syrian territory and ordered the local population of five municipalities, including Quneitra, the provincial capital, to stay at home for safety while facing insurgents.
Saar explained that Israel had to intervene because insurgent groups violated the troop withdrawal agreement signed with Syria in 1974 for the so-called "buffer zone" and attacked units, observation posts near the border, posing "a threat to our communities in the Golan Heights and the State of Israel," as reported by Efe.
"That's why we attacked the regime's strategic weapons systems, including chemical weapons depots and long-range missiles, to prevent them from falling into the hands of extremists," the minister said about Israel's military operations in Syria, which included attacks on military airports in Damascus.
Saar expressed skepticism about political stability in Syria and doubted that a new administration could consolidate sovereignty over the entire Syrian territory given the variety of insurgent groups that contributed to Assad's fall. The minister emphasized that the Israeli government will not interfere but will not allow Syria to become "another base from which to attack Israel."
Scenes of jubilation in Damascus after the lifting of the curfew
Syrian fighters and civilians expressed their joy in Umayyad Square in central Damascus on Monday to celebrate the fall of President Bashar Assad after rebels lifted the nighttime curfew.
"It's indescribable, we didn't think this nightmare would end, we are being reborn," said Rim Ramadan, 49, a Finance Ministry employee, enthusiastically to AFP.
"We've been living in fear of speaking for 55 years, even at home, we used to say the walls had ears. You feel like you're living a dream," she added to AFP with the background sound of horns and celebratory explosions.
From the square, a column of smoke could be seen in a neighboring neighborhood where security service buildings, which were set on fire on Sunday, are located.
Syrian Embassy in Moscow raises the flag of the Syrian opposition
The flag of the Syrian opposition was raised on Monday at the Syrian Embassy in Moscow, as confirmed by an AFP journalist on site, a day after the fall of President Bashar Assad, overthrown by rebels in a lightning offensive.
A group of men hoisted the emblematic flag of the opposition with three red stars as snowflakes fell over Moscow, reported the AFP journalist.
Russian troops in Syria to be evacuated with Turkey's assistance, according to a Turkish channel
Russian troops remaining in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime will be evacuated with Turkey's assistance, according to the Turkish news channel NTV, as reported by Efe. The television, citing security forces, reported on Monday that Moscow requested Turkey's help to evacuate its troops remaining in Syria, where Russia has a naval base and an airbase.
According to NTV, Moscow's request was accepted by Ankara, and the Russian soldiers will be evacuated using military planes.
Russia, along with Iran, was the main external support for Assad, and his fall in a lightning offensive by a rebel militia alliance has left an undetermined number of Russian soldiers in Syrian territory.
China urges "the Syrian people to decide the future of Syria"
China emphasized on Monday the importance of "the future and destiny of Syria being decided by the Syrian people" following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, highlighted during a press conference that the involved parties must find a "political solution" to restore "stability and order" in the country after more than a decade of conflict, as reported by Efe.
In her statements, Mao emphasized that "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected" and reaffirmed that Beijing is closely monitoring the events in the country, referring to recent Israeli movements.
In recent years, Beijing, along with Russia, has been one of the last major allies of Bashar al-Assad's regime, with whom Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in September 2023 the establishment of a "strategic partnership" between China and Syria that will "mark a milestone" in their relations.
Twelve dead from one family, half of them children, in a Turkish attack in northern Syria
At least 12 members of the same family, including six children, died on Monday in a drone attack launched by Turkey on a house on the outskirts of the city of Ain Issa in northern Syria, controlled by the Kurdish, reported an NGO.
"Twelve civilians have died, including six children, all members of the same family, in the Turkish drone attack on a house in the village of Al Mestrayaha on the outskirts of Ain Issa in the northern province of Al Raqqa," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an NGO based in the UK with a wide network of collaborators on the ground, as reported by Efe.
This attack comes amid the offensive that Syrian rebels supported by Turkey are carrying out in northern Syria against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an armed alliance led by the Kurds.