Syrian Rebels have toppled the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, who was forced to flee the country. Syrian forces abandoned their defensive positions and bases, allowing rebel forces to take the capital with little resistance.
Bashar al-Assad has been in power since the death of his father in 2000. He ruled Syria with an iron fist, even using chemical weapons on his own people who dared oppose his brutal regime. The civil war that would eventually depose his rule took root during the Arab Spring in 2011. In the thirteen years that followed, as many as half a million Syrians have died, and millions more have fled the country.
Thirteen years of civil war ended, at least for now, when Damascus fell.
Assad is out in Syria, rebels have taken over Damascus, and we've got the rundown for you https://t.co/UBxSIxpghL
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) December 8, 2024
Syrians around the world are celebrating the fall of Assad's brutal regime. It remains to be seen if his replacement will be any better.
Syria — People sit on a toppled statue of Hafez al-Assad, the father of Bashar al-Assad, after the regime was toppled by Islamist insurgents. For decades, the Assad regime mass killed and imprisoned anyone who was seen as a threat to their power.
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) December 8, 2024
The fall of the Assad regime… pic.twitter.com/dBHBeVm56Q
Al-Jolani's CV includes years in Al-Qaeda and ISIS, back during the days where they smashed churches and beheaded civilians.
— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) December 8, 2024
Assad's downfall is a good thing. His replacement tyrant is not. pic.twitter.com/50LOltesQ4
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World leaders, including President-Elect Donald Trump, have been weighing in on the news out of Damascus.
Opposition fighters in Syria, in an unprecedented move, have totally taken over numerous cities, in a highly coordinated offensive, and are now on the outskirts of Damascus, obviously preparing to make a very big move toward taking out Assad. Russia, because they are so tied up…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2024
The entirety of Trump's comments.
Opposition fighters in Syria, in an unprecedented move, have totally taken over numerous cities, in a highly coordinated offensive, and are now on the outskirts of Damascus, obviously preparing to make a very big move toward taking out Assad. Russia, because they are so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years. This is where former President Obama refused to honor his commitment of protecting the RED LINE IN THE SAND, and all hell broke out, with Russia stepping in. But now they are, like possibly Assad himself, being forced out, and it may actually be the best thing that can happen to them. There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look really stupid. In any event, Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!
French President Emmanuel Macron.
The barbaric state has fallen. At last.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 8, 2024
I pay tribute to the Syrian people, to their courage, to their patience. In this moment of uncertainty, I send them my wishes for peace, freedom, and unity.
France will remain committed to the security of all in the Middle East.
There have been no official comments from The White House. However, we were assured President Biden was awake.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done more than release a statement. In the face of Assad's regime being replaced with an Islamic califate, the Israeli Defense Forces have been taking action.
This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 8, 2024
We send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the… pic.twitter.com/yJZE3AZZJn
Israeli forces have advanced through the Golan Heights region to create a buffer zone between the Syrian and Israeli borders.
Mount Hermon no longer belongs to Syria.
— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) December 8, 2024
It belongs to Israel. pic.twitter.com/QIg81Dszjk
🚨 BREAKING:
— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) December 8, 2024
IDF soldiers raise the Israeli flag on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
Credit: Yair Kraus pic.twitter.com/n7bj73apm7
In addition to the creation of a buffer zone, the IDF has also reportedly been carrying out airstrikes to destroy advanced weapons systems and even suspected weapons facilities so that they won't fall into the hands of Islamic terrorists.
🚨 BREAKING:
— 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) December 8, 2024
Israel is relentlessly bombing Syria right now, after also capturing the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. This is to avoid having jihadists in possession of powerful weapons.
Whomever told you that Israel is "allied" to the new Syrian regime is a liar. pic.twitter.com/W4QJ5DpxoU
Israel is not alone in its apprehension over a fundamentalist Islamic organization with ties to ISIS and Al-Qaeda taking control of Syria.
Assad is a tyrant and a tool of Iranian empire. He deserves whatever is coming.
— Yoram Hazony (@yhazony) December 8, 2024
But the al-Qaida adjacent monsters about to take over are a catastrophe: For the Syrian Christians, Druze, and the Kurds, as well as for Israel and the Arab monarchies.
1/ pic.twitter.com/Un0MD8kw4V
Christians in Syria may be especially vulnerable.
Christians in Damascus gathered at church tonight to pray for guidance during these uncertain times.
— Dr. Maalouf (@realMaalouf) December 7, 2024
The fall of Damascus could mark the end of a 2,000-year-old Christian presence in the city.
Pray for Syrian Christians!
pic.twitter.com/4m4uGNLKqF
The fate of Syria's Christian population is uncertain under the rule of jihadist Hayat Tahir al-Sham (HTS). Assad was a monster they knew, and they, along with the Druze and Kurds, would face what may be a different monster altogether.
New Syrian leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani is among the world's most wanted terrorists, and despite HTS's attempts to separate themselves from extremist organizations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, the United States has designated them as a terror organization.
We remain committed to bringing leading AQS figures in HTS to justice. #Syria pic.twitter.com/R8evqffWum
— U.S. Embassy Syria (@USEmbassySyria) May 15, 2017
As a wanted terrorist settles into his new role as the de facto leader of Syria, the whereabouts of Syria's former leader are less clear.
Initial rumors spread that Assad may have perished as his plane crashed or was shot down appear untrue and it's most likely that he escaped and may currently be in Iran or Russia.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left the country and gave orders for a peaceful transfer of power, Russia's foreign ministry says https://t.co/FegDPdj9Il
— CNN (@CNN) December 8, 2024
President Bashar al-Assad has left Syria, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday.
Assad “decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully,” the statement said, adding that “Russia did not participate in these negotiations.”
“The Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition,” it said.
Before the Russian foreign ministry issued its statement, a source close to the rebels told CNN that the ousted president had left Damascus under Russian protection, and a separate source said he traveled to Latakia in northwest Syria, where Russia has an airbase.
Bashar al-Assad has been deposed, and the civil war in Syria has apparently come to an end. A wanted terrorist and his jihadist organization have taken charge. When Donald Trump takes office in January, he and the world may have to get to know a new monster.
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