Syria Crisis: Syrians Celebrate Bashar Assad's Fall as His Whereabouts Remain Unknown

Damascus, December 8: Crowds gathered in Syria's Damascus on Sunday to celebrate the fall of Bashar Assad's government with chants, prayers and the occasional gunfire after opposition fighters entered the capital following a stunning advance.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian opposition war monitor, said Assad took a flight from Damascus and left early Sunday. There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government and Assad's whereabouts remain unknown. Syria Crisis: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Says Israel Forces Have Seized Buffer Zone in Golan Heights After Syrian Unrest.

It was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018 when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege. The night before, opposition forces had taken the central city of Homs, Syria's third largest, as government forces abandoned it.

The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too.

Here's the Latest:

Yemen's leader welcomes the fall of Syria's government

CAIRO — The head of Yemen's internationally recognised government welcomed the fall of the government of President Bashar Assad of Syria. “It's a historic moment,” Rashad al-Alimi, who chairs the ruling presidential council, wrote on X platform of Assad's downfall. “It's time for the Iranian regime to stop meddling in Yemen, respect its sovereignty and identity.”

Al-Alimi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia, was referring to Iran's support of Houthi rebels who are at war with Yemen's internationally recognised government for a decade. Families wander through the presidential palace in Damascus, taking pictures. Syria Crisis: Bashar al-Assad Left Country After Deciding To Leave Presidential Post, Gave Instructions To Transfer Power Peacefully, Claims Russia's Foreign Ministry.

DAMASCUS — Families wandered through the high-ceilinged halls of the presidential palace in Damascus on Sunday, along with some armed men. Some paused to take family portraits or selfies on the few remaining couches against the backdrop of mosaiced walls, while others walked out with chairs and other items under their arms. On the massive parking lot out front, cars drove in circles honking ecstatically.

In central Damascus' Umayyad Square, drivers passing by also honked jubilantly, while young men piled onto a tank abandoned in the square.

Iran, which had closely backed Assad, says Syrians should decide country's future

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran says the Syrian people should decide their country's future “without destructive, coercive foreign intervention.” The Foreign Ministry statement issued Sunday marked Iran's first official reaction to the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, who it had strongly backed through nearly 14 years of civil war.

Netanyahu says Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights after Syrian unrest

TEL AVIV, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria. He spoke from an overlook near the border between Syria and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, after Syrian rebels tore through the country and dramatically ended Assad's rule on Sunday morning.

Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating the Israeli takeover as a “temporary defensive position.”

Syrians cross over from Lebanon, facing an uncertain future but hopeful for change

MASNAA, Lebanon — At Lebanon's Masnaa crossing into Syria, the mood was festive Sunday with some local Lebanese residents handing out congratulatory sweets to Syrians lined up to return to their country.

Sami Abdel-Latif, a refugee from Hama who was heading to Syria to join his wife and four children, said while the future in Syria is still uncertain, “anything is better than Bashar.” He said he expected some chaos initially but that eventually the situation would settle down.

Egyptians express mixed feelings over collapse of Assad's government

CAIRO — Egyptians expressed mixed feelings following the downfall of Syria's Bashar Assad. Many welcomed Assad's ouster after decades of repression under his rule and that of his father Hafez Assad. Others, however, expressed concerns about the future of Syria, mostly given the extremist past of rebel commanders, especially Abu Mohammed al-Golani who leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, labelled a terrorist by the United States.

EU top diplomat welcomes Bashar Assad's ouster

BRUSSELS — The European Union's top diplomat welcomed the fall of Bashar Assad and said that the collapse of his rule underlines how weak his supporters in Moscow and Tehran have become. “The end of Assad's dictatorship is a positive and long-awaited development,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posted on X.

German Chancellor calls for speedy return of order in Syria

BERLIN — Reacting to the fall of Bashir Assad's government, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday that “what matters now is that law and order are quickly restored in Syria.” “The Syrian people have experienced appalling suffering,” the chancellor said in an emailed statement. “The end of Assad's rule over Syria is therefore good news.”

Airstrikes reported in the area of the Mezzeh military airport

DAMASCUS, Syria — An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported airstrikes in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital Sunday. The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched Sunday's strike.

China hopes for stability soon in Syria

BEIJING — China said it was closely monitoring the situation in Syria and that it hoped stability would return as soon as possible, according to a statement published Sunday on the Foreign Ministry's website. Beijing said it has been helping Chinese nationals who wish to leave Syria to do so in a safe manner and that it remained in contact with those still in the country.

Opposition forces announce curfew in Damascus

BEIRUT — The command of the Syrian armed opposition says it will impose Sunday a curfew in Damascus, starting at 4 pm local time till 5 am on Monday. The Military Operations Administration, which posted the decision on Telegram, did not give a reason for the curfew.

Russia claims Assad left Syria after giving instructions to transfer power peacefully

MOSCOW — Russia's Foreign Ministry claimed Sunday that Bashar Assad had left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups, and gave “instructions” to “transfer power peacefully.” In a post on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday, the ministry said Moscow had not directly participated in these talks. It also said it has been following the “dramatic events” in Syria “with extreme concern."

France welcomes the fall of Bashar Assad

PARIS — The French Foreign Affairs ministry said France “welcomes” the fall of Bashar Assad's government “after more than 13 years of violent repression against its own people.”

The ministry said in a statement: “The Syrian people have suffered too much. Bashar Assad has bled dry country, emptied of a large part of its people who, if not forced into exile, have been massacred, tortured and bombarded with chemical weapons by the regime and its allies.”

UN envoy for Syria expresses hope but warns of immense challenges

DOHA, Qatar — The UN envoy for Syria says the ouster of President Bashar Assad has created an opportunity to address the country's deep problems and create a brighter future after years of conflict. But he says “immense” challenges remain. Geir Pederson told reporters that the changes in Syria now raise hope for millions of refugees, internally displaced, political prisoners and families whose loved ones have disappeared.

Turkish foreign minister calls on world to help stabilise Syria

BEIRUT — Hakan Fidan said Sunday that “Syria has reached a stage where the Syrian people will shape the future of their own country,” calling on the international community to support Syrians. Fidan is attending the Qatari diplomatic forum that started late Saturday and is hosting eight countries with an interest in Syria, including the U.S. and Iran.

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