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
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.
How Putin’s intelligence agents convinced Assad to flee Syria
Russian intelligence agents persuaded Bashar al-Assad to flee Syria with Moscow having become convinced that he would lose against the insurgents rapidly advancing on Damascus, sources have said.
Moscow offered Mr Assad a safe exit if he left the country immediately as the rebel forces led by former al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS) approached, leading to the toppling of 50 years of rule by the Assad family.
Angus Thompson reports.
How Putin’s intelligence agents convinced Assad to flee Syria
Fresh details have emerged of the ousted Syrian dictactor’s escape with the help of the Kremlin
America’s closest ally in Syria losing ground
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
Biden aides to try to ensure peaceful transition of power
US president Joe Biden’s top aides are heading to the Middle East seeking to advance efforts to help ensure a smooth transition in Syria and reach a Gaza ceasefire.
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 coming days, officials said.
Mr Blinken will “reiterate the United States’ support for an inclusive, Syrian-led transition to an accountable and representative government,” the State Department said.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Luis Albares said on Wednesday the international community needs to establish ‘several red lines’ in any talks with the new Syrian leadership and move quickly to guarantee a peaceful future for the country.
In pictures: Syrians celebrate
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Ukraine ‘gave rebels drones'
Syrian fighters received about 150 drones and other covert support from Ukrainian intelligence operatives last month, weeks ahead of the rebels’ advance that toppled Bashar al-Assad over the weekend, according to The Washington Post.
The paper said Ukrainian intelligence sent about 20 drone operators and about 150 first-person-view drones about four to five weeks ago to aid Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Russia’s foreign ministry had earlier said the rebels had received drones from Ukraine and training in how to operate them, an accusation that Ukraine’s foreign ministry at the time said it categorically rejected.
Rebels will dissolve regime security forces, leader vows
Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has told Reuters he will dissolve the security forces of the toppled regime of Bashar al-Assad.
He also said his group that now rules most of Syria was working with international organisations to secure possible sites where chemical weapons may be located.
Kurds in Syria face an uncertain future
The jihadi rebels who toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad say they want to build a unified, inclusive country. But after 14 years of civil war, putting that ideal into practice will not be easy. For Syria‘s Kurdish minority - America’s closest ally in the country - the struggle for a new order is entering a potentially even more challenging phase.
Over the course of Syria‘s civil war, Kurdish fighters have fended off an array of armed factions, partnered with the US to rout the Islamic State group and carved out a largely autonomous region in the country’s oil-rich east. But the gains of the non-Arab Kurds are now at risk. The ascendance of the Sunni Arab rebels who overthrew Assad — with vital help from Turkey, a longtime foe of the Kurds — will make it hard for the Kurds to find a place in the new Syria and could prolong the conflict. The jihadi rebels who rode into Damascus over the weekend have made peaceful overtures to the Kurds. But the rebels violently drove Kurdish fighters out of the eastern city of Deir al-Zour days after government forces abandoned it. To the north, a separate opposition faction backed by Turkey that has been battling the Kurds for years seized the town of Manbij. And Turkey carried out airstrikes on a Kurdish convoy it said was carrying heavy weapons looted from government arsenals. The Kurds have long counted on US aid in the face of such challenges.
Around 900 American troops are in eastern Syria, where they partner with Kurdish forces to prevent an Islamic State resurgence.
But the future of that mission will be thrown into doubt under president-elect Donald Trump, who has long been skeptical about US involvement in Syria.
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