Eurasia Press & News
Latest Developments
• Syrian Rebels Capture Damascus, Declaring Assad Regime Fallen: Bashar al-Assad resigned his presidency and fled from Syria early on December 8, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry. Syrian rebels declared victory in Damascus following a lightning-quick offensive led by Islamist group and U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), whose leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, arrived in the Syrian capital following its capture. According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Assad had instructed his government officials to “transfer power peacefully” before fleeing the country.
• Assad Flees to Moscow: As the Syrian rebels seized power on Sunday morning, the now-stateless Assad flew from Syria to Russia, having originally planned to address the nation in a televised speech from Damascus which never occurred. Russian state media reported that the former Syrian president and his family had been granted political asylum in Moscow, with Assad joining his wife and children in the Russian capital.
• Rebel Success Concludes Ten-Day Thunder Run Through Syria: The HTS-spearheaded offensive began on November 28, with the rebels capturing the cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs before their eventual takeover of Damascus. Throughout the rapid advance, both Hezbollah fighters and Russian airpower supported Assad government forces in defending these key cities, but the reinforcements had little effect on the Islamist rebels’ southward progress. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the fall of the Assad regime “a historic day in the Middle East,” as he observed the developments from neighboring Israel.
FDD Expert Response
“Assad is gone. Syrians have much to celebrate. But Washington needs to focus on preventing an Islamist dictatorship from replacing Assad. We have leverage in the form of sanctions, aid, and our partnership with the Syrian Kurds. But it’s a tough assignment.” — David Adesnik, Vice President of Research
“The ‘rebels’ that captured Damascus and deposed the Assad regime in a lightning advance are riddled with Salafist jihadist groups. Hayatullah Tahrir al Sham, the primary “rebel” groups, is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and its leader is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for ties to Al Qaeda. It is unlikely that the fighting in Syria has ended; expect HTS and the SNA to turn on the SDF next.” — Bill Roggio, Senior Fellow and Editor of FDD’s Long War Journal
