Syria – live: Tomb of Assad’s father set on fire by rebels as France calls out Israel for buffer zone capture
France joins Arab nations in criticising Israel for exploiting the Syria crisis to capture more territory near the Golan Heights
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Your support makes all the difference.Rebel fighters have set fire to the tomb of Syria’s former president Hafez Assad – Bashar al-Assad’s father – in his home town in the country’s northwest. The insurgents posed with a flag in the burnt-out mausoleum.
France has asked Israel to respect the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of neighbouring Syria and withdraw its forces from the buffer zone between Israel and Syria, which was swiftly captured by Benjamin Netanyahu’s forces after Assad fled to Russia.
A number of Arab nations, including Egypt and Qatar, have condemned Israel for exploiting the power vacuum in Syria and capturing the area near the Golan Heights.
Earlier, Bloomberg revealed Russian intelligence agents organised the swift escape of dictator Bashar al-Assad after convincing him he would lose to encroaching forces.
And Israel said it had launched more than 480 airstrikes on military facilities across Syria, destroying the country’s navy and targeting weapons stockpiles and strategic infrastructure. Military chiefs said they hit weapons production sites in five cities including Damascus.
Israeli forces seize buffer zone along occupied Golan Heights after Assad’s downfall
I asked Republicans about Tulsi Gabbard’s remarks on Syria. This is what they said
These Syrians watched their town be destroyed in war as Assad kept them away. Now they are vowing to rebuild
Syria doesn’t have to become a jihadi hellhole
Syria’s caretaker PM urges refugees to ‘come home’
Syria’s caretaker prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir has urged all Syrians who fled president Bashar al-Assad’s brutal dictatorship to return and help “rebuild” the Arab nation.
“My appeal goes out to all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has regained its pride and dignity. Come back,” he told Corriere della Sera.
“We need to rebuild, to get our country on its feet again, and we need everyone’s help.”
At least 7.4 million Syrians remained internally displaced and nearly 4.9 million were seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, the UN said in a 2024 report.
Palestinian factions in Syria set to meet new leaders
Syria-based Palestinian factions have formed a unified delegation to meet the country’s new rebel-led authorities.
The factions said after a meeting at the Palestinian embassy that they stood by the side of the Syrian people.
They condemned Israel’s air strikes on Syria over the past few days that have destroyed much of the assets of the Syrian army.
The factions decided to form a joint committee to run the affairs of Palestinians in Syria as well as to be in contact with the new insurgent-led transitional government, following the ousting of president Bashar Assad.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in Syria, many of them refugees, and the factions that have been based in Damascus were close to Assad’s government. Hamas was based in Syria until it left in 2012, a year after the county’s civil war began.
Syrian activist Mazen Al-Hamada found dead in Saydnaya prison
Syrian activist Mazen Al-Hamada, whose face became the symbol of the Assad regime’s brutality, died in Saydnaya prison shortly before rebels took over Damascus and forced the president to flee.
Hamada, a former prisoner of Bashar al-Assad’s security services and an early activist in the 2011 Syrian uprising, was confirmed dead at the Harasta Military Hospital on Monday.
The Syrian activist had fled to Europe but returned to Syria in 2020 and was imprisoned upon arrival. His mangled corpse was found wrapped in a bloody sheet in Saydnaya, according to reports.
European nations urged not to send Syrian refugees back in haste
Human rights groups and the United Nations have asked European countries not to deport Syrian refugees in haste amid the chaos and uncertainty that has gripped the West Asian nation following the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad.
After 13 years of civil war, which forced millions of Syrians to seek refuge in Europe and Asia, rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebranded Al Qaeda and Isis affiliate, swept the country and took control of Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing Assad and forcing him to flee to Russia.
Mr Assad’s ouster has offered hope to Syrians who endured a campaign of bombings, forced disappearances and torture under his family rule for decades.
At least 14 European nations, including the UK and Germany, have put asylum applications from Syrians on hold.
More here.
Rights groups urge European nations not to send Syrian refugees back in haste
At least 14 European countries have put asylum applications by Syrians on hold
The inmates released from Assad’s notorious prisons
In case you missed it:
The prisoners freed from notorious Syria jails: ‘I haven’t seen the sun until today’
The prisons have garnered an infamous reputation for their harsh conditions
France urges Israel to withdraw from buffer zone
France has called on Israel to withdraw troops from the buffer zone between Israel and Syria which was captured by Benjamin Netanyahu’s forces swiftly after the fall of the Assad regime.
Mr Netanyahu said on Sunday he had ordered his ground forces to take control of the buffer zone established by a ceasefire agreement with Syria after armed rebel groups pushed out president Bashar al-Assad from Damascus and took power.
“Any military deployment in the separation zone between Israel and Syria is a violation of the disengagement agreement of 1974,” a French foreign ministry spokesperson said yesterday.
Israel’s exploitative move has been condemned by Egypt, Jordan and Qatar.
Top Biden aides head to Middle East to discuss Gaza truce and Syria
Two of US president Joe Biden’s most senior aides are travelling to the Middle East, seeking to advance efforts to reach an elusive Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal and help ensure a smooth transition in Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken was set to visit Jordan and Turkey, while national security adviser Jake Sullivan planned stops in Israel, Qatar and Egypt in the coming days.
The Biden administration hopes that the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon as well as the ouster of Assad, a close ally of Tehran, can help build momentum toward a Gaza accord
.“Hamas has got to be looking out at the world today and realising that the cavalry is not coming to rescue them,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.
“One would hope that recent developments in Syria reinforce for them that they are just increasingly isolated and ought to take a deal.”
Syria’s former ruling party led by Assad suspends activities
Syria’s Baath Party said it is suspending its work and activities until further notice as it deposed ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad.
All work and activity “will be suspended in all its forms until further notice,” a statement said on the party’s website.
The former ruling party, which has been led by the Assad family for decades, said that all its property, funds and weapons would be handed to police and law enforcement authorities.
“All the party’s property and funds will be placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice, and its proceeds are to be deposited in the Central Syrian Bank.”
The Syrians vowing to rebuild their town
Bel Trew visits Jobar, north of Damascus, which was devastated by some of the fiercest battles of the civil war, and meets residents returning home for the first time in more than a decade:
These Syrians watched their town be destroyed in war. Now they are vowing to rebuild
Bel Trew visits Jobar – north of Damascus – which was devastated by some of the fiercest battles of the civil war. She meets residents returning home for the first time in more than a decade. Both they, and Syria itself, face major challenges in starting anew
US urges ‘close consultation’ with Israel on Syria
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz in a call that it was important for the US and Israel to be in close consultation over events unfolding in Syria.
Mr Austin told Mr Katz that Washington was monitoring developments in Syria and that it backed a peaceful, inclusive political transition, according to the Pentagon.
Following the collapse of the Assad regime, the Israeli military said its jets conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria and destroyed the bulk of Syria’s strategic weapons stockpiles.
“Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of close consultation between the United States and Israel on events in Syria,” the Pentagon said.
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