Who Are the Syrian Rebels and Where Is Bashar al-Assad? | BBC News

Dec 8, 2024 | Syrian rebel forces in Damascus have declared the capital city "free" of Bashar al-Assad after nearly 25 years of rule, as the former ruler is said to have left by plane for an unknown destination.

The initial offensive to defeat Assad's regime was led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - which was set up in 2012 under a different name, al-Nusra Front, and pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda the following year.

HTS publicly broke ranks with al-Qaeda in 2016 but is still designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN, US, Turkey and other countries.

The US has named the group's leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, as a specially designated global terrorist and offered a $10m reward for information that leads to his capture.

Jawlani told CNN on Friday that "the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime" and that he planned to create a government based on institutions and a "council chosen by the people".


Frank Gardner’s distinction between Islam and Islamism is shockingly inaccurate. He says the difference between Islam and Islamism is that Islamists do not believe in the separation of politics and religion. This is NONSENSE! Islam itself doesn’t believe in the separation of politics and religion! In fact, no good Muslim should. It is basic to Islam that there be no separation between the spiritual and the temporal. Islam is one indivisible, coherent, organic whole.

These politically correct people working for organisations such as the BBC do their best to confuse people and to obfuscate the truth. But they lie! No good Muslim can believe, is allowed to believe, in the separation of mosque and state.

Christianity allows for a separation of the spiritual and the temporal, the separation of Church and state. Islam adheres to no such concept.

What an Islamist really is, is a person who adheres STRICTLY to the tenets of his faith. He is a fundamentalist Muslim – a Muslim who wishes to re-create an Islamic state that resembles the ideal that the Prophet Muhammad admonished his followers to do. They stray in no way from the tenets of their faith.

The myth of a moderate devout Muslim is just that: a myth! Yes, there are moderate Muslims. But moderate Muslims are Muslims that have strayed from, or are straying from, their faith. Never forget this: Prophet Muhammad is considered the ‘the perfect man’ (al-Insān al-Kāmil [الإنسان الكامل]). This is why many Muslim men try to emulate the Prophet’s behaviour, mannerisms, way of dressing, and facial hair, and so on and so forth. But this is not just for so-called ‘Islamists’. It is also for all Muslim men who revere their religion.

It is high time that Westerners learn the true nature of Islam, and the way of living its adherents are expected to follow. – © Mark Alexander

Assad Has Resigned and Left Syria, Russia Says

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Bashar al-Assad’s immediate location was not initially clear after rebels took control of Syria’s capital. Russia’s foreign ministry did not provide details on where he had gone, saying only that he had resigned and left the country.

President Bashar al-Assad has resigned and left Syria, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Sunday, a stunning fall for the longtime dictator after rebels opposed to his rule stormed across the country and seized control of the capital in less than two weeks.

The foreign ministry’s statement did not offer details on Mr. al-Assad’s exact whereabouts, saying only that he had held talks with “several parties of the armed conflict.”

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian presidency about Mr. al-Assad.

Mr. al-Assad’s departure was an earthshaking moment in the history of Syria, which has been ruled by his family with an iron fist since the early 1970s. It marked a dramatic breakthrough for rebel factions in Syria that have been trying to unseat Mr. al-Assad for more than a decade, much of which was marked by a devastating civil war.

For many in Syria, Mr. Assad’s fall was a moment filled with hope as they no longer feared the regime that has used oppressive tactics to quash their freedoms. But it was also rife with uncertainty over who will rule Syria nextand raised fears of a power vacuum in a country that has been riven with competing factions vying for control of different areas of territory.

“Our hearts are dancing with joy,” Walaa Salameh, 35, a resident of the Damascus area, said in a phone interview. “We can’t predict the future and anything is possible, but the most important thing is we got rid of this oppressive regime.” » | Raja Abdulrahim, Hwaida Saad and Farnaz Fassihi | Sunday, December 8, 2024

THE TELEGRAPH:

Assad has fled country says Russia as plane disappears from radar: Syrian president is said to have fled the country as Damascus fell. US officials believe he was heading for refuge in Moscow »

Assad the tyrant has fallen – some fear what comes next will be worse: The 13-year rebellion against Bashar al-Assad’s regime may be over, but Syria’s civil war may not be »

BBC:

Where is Bashar al-Assad?: Bashar al-Assad has "stepped down" as president and "left Syria", his ally Russia says, hours after rebel forces took control of the capital Damascus. »

'No-one slept in Syria last night' - how news of Assad's toppling spread: Residents in Damascus have told of an anxious wait for news on what was happening in Syria's capital city overnight. »

ZEIT ONLINE:

"Das Ende der Assad-Herrschaft ist eine gute Nachricht": International begrüßen zahlreiche Politikerinnen und Politiker den Sturz des syrischen Diktators Assad. Viele von ihnen mahnen jedoch auch – mit Blick auf die Zukunft. »

LE MONDE :

La chute de Bachar Al-Assad en Syrie : les groupes rebelles promettent une « nouvelle ère » et organisent la transition du pouvoir : Le président syrien a fui, dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche, après l’entrée dans la capitale de la coalition menée par les islamistes du Hayat Tahrir Al-Cham (HTC). « Les institutions publiques resteront sous la supervision de l’ancien premier ministre jusqu’à leur remise officielle », a assuré le chef du HTC. »

Syrian Rebels Near Homs as Government Forces Appear Unable to Stop Them | DW News

Dec 7, 2024 | Islamist rebels are closing in on the city of Homs after seizing Aleppo and Hama. Government forces have appeared unable to mount an effective resistance since the rebels launched their offensive last week. Taking Homs would bring them a step closer to capturing Damascus, and toppling president Assad's government.

Assad Left 'Alone' and 'Isolated' as Syrian Rebels Close In on Damascus

Dec 7, 2024 | "I would say we’re in the final weeks of the regime."

Rebels are now "on the outer suburbs" of Damascus and there is a "whole new front" being driven in the North making it "harder and harder" for the regime to survive, says a journalist with the Economist in Beirut Gareth Browne.

Syrian Rebels Close In on Damascus as Presidency Denies Assad Has Left Capital | BBC News

Dec 7, 2024 | Syrian rebels are closing in on Damascus from the north and south, and have entered the key city of Homs, according to reports.

The Syrian presidency has denied reports that President Bashar al-Assad has left Damascus.

The leader of the Islamist militant group HTS said their goal is the overthrow of Assad's regime.

Protesters have brought down the statue of the Syrian president's father in the suburb of Jermana, about 10km from Damascus, a witness told the Reuters news agency.

Syria Rebels Encircle Damascus in Major Threat to Assad Regime

THE TELEGRAPH: Syria’s rebels have begun to encircle Damascus in a major threat to the survival of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

“Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital, Damascus,” said Hassan Abdel Ghani, a commander with the Islamist-led alliance that launched the offensive.

Earlier on Sunday, a war monitor said that the rebels had advanced to within 20 kilometres of the city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces had ceded more key ground, losing control of all of southern Daraa province and evacuating posts in Quneitra, near the Israel-annexed Golan Heights. » | Daniel Hardaker | Saturday, December 7, 2024

'Suffering of Syrians Is Horrendous': UK Baroness Cox on Her Trip to Aleppo, Damascus

RT spoke with Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of the UK Parliament’s House Of Lords, who has just returned from Damascus in Syria, where she met with President Assad – a move which has earned her a lot of criticism from her colleagues.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad: Exclusive Interview | NBC Nightly News

What It's Like to Live under ISIS? Syrian Truck Drivers Reveal to RT

Truck drivers travel all around Syria to bring fresh produce to markets in Damascus. RT’s Lizzie Phealn has more.

Islamic State Fights Syrian Rebels and 'Moves Closer to Central Damascus'

THE TELEGRAPH: Isil militants and Islamist rebels are fighting in Asali, part of the capital's southern Qadam district

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) battled Syrian rebel forces in a Damascus neighbourhood on Monday, bringing the extremists closer than ever to the centre of the capital, a monitoring group said.

Isil militants fought street battles against Islamist rebels in Asali, part of the capital's southern Qadam district, after seizing two streets there over the weekend, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"This is the closest Isil has ever been to the heart of Damascus," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. » | AFP | Monday, August 31, 2015

Saudi-backed Radicals behind Damascus Chemical Attack - Russian Sources

The August chemical weapons attack in the Syrian capital's suburbs was done by a Saudi Arabian black operations team, Russian diplomatic sources have told a Russian news agency.

Syrians No Longer Trust Neighbours As 'Religious Mosaic' Breaks Up

BBC: Syria's government troops are stepping up their offensive against rebel forces in Damascus, according to the BBC's Middle East editor, Jeremy Bowen.

It comes as a Syrian minister hails a US-Russia deal on Syria's chemical weapons as a "victory" that averts war.

The agreement states Syria must provide full details of its stockpile within a week - with the chemical arsenal eliminated by mid-2014.

Jeremy Bowen has been to meet Christians who fled their homes in Maaloula, some of whom say they were attacked by rebels "with local accents".

He says many Syrians no longer trust their old neighbours and that "the religious mosaic of different sects is breaking up". Watch BBC video » | Sunday, September 15, 2013

Syria Crisis: UN to Confirm Sarin Gas Used in Damascus

BBC: There is "convincing evidence" that sarin gas was used in a rocket attack in the Syrian capital, Damascus, last month, a UN report is to confirm.

Text seen in a photograph of the front page of the report - to be released later - does not apportion blame.

US allegations that the government was responsible led to threats of military action and then a US-Russia deal for Syria to make safe its chemical arms.

World powers will now try to hammer out a UN Security Council resolution. » | Monday, September 16, 2013

Syria: West Vows to Increase Backing for Rebels

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain, France and the United States agreed to strengthen the Syrian opposition and increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to respect a deal to give up his chemical weapons arsenal to avoid military action.

But Russia warned that talks between the three powers in Paris on a “strong” United Nations resolution on Syria could wreck peace efforts.

Britain, France and the US agreed that Assad would face “serious consequences” if he fails to comply with a UN resolution setting out a timetable for the handover of Syria’s chemical weapons to international control, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said at a joint press conference.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, said the allies were committed to keeping up the pressure on Assad following a deal between the US and Russia on the handover of Syrian chemical weapons reached in Geneva on Saturday.

"If the Assad regime believes that this is not enforceable and we are not serious, they will play games...The military option is still on the table,” he said. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, September 16, 2013

Syrie : Paris menace Damas »

Assad Supporters – Syria (2011)

A rare look at Assad's side of the Syrian story

Recruited by Al-Qaeda: Foreign Fighters in Damascus Jail Tell Their Stories

Rebels, foreign Jihadists and government troops have been condemned by a UN report - which found them all guilty of war crimes - including civilian massacres and indiscriminate shelling. Meanwhile, international mercenaries and militants continue to flood the country... convinced they're carrying out the will of God. But what forces men to such extremes? RT's Maria Finoshina has been investigating.

Charlie Rose’s Full Interview with Bashar al-Assad

CBS News’s Charlie Rose sat down with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the weekend.

Charlie Rose Interviews Syria's Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus

Bashar Assad tells Charlie Rose U.S. should "expect every action" in response to Syria strikes Charlie Rose interviewed Syria's president Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday.

Bashar al-Assad: US Will Pay Price for Syria Strike

BBC: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned that the US would "pay the price" for any strike against Syria.

He told US broadcaster PBS that strikes would increase instability and lead to the spread of terrorism in the region.

He said there was "no evidence" that government forces had used chemical weapons against their own people.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry has once again warned that taking no action against Mr Assad's regime is riskier than launching strikes.

When asked at a news conference whether there was anything Mr Assad could do to avoid military action, Mr Kerry replied that he could hand over his entire stockpile of chemical weapons within the next week.

However, US officials later clarified that Mr Kerry was making a "rhetorical argument" rather than a serious offer.

Mr Kerry has been lobbying hard for military action against Syria during talks with EU and Arab foreign ministers in Europe.

The US Congress is due to debate whether to authorise intervention in Syria. Watch BBC video » | Monday, September 09, 2013

John Kerry and Bashar al-Assad Dined in Damascus

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Photographs showing John Kerry, the US secretary of state, dining in splendour with President Bashar al-Assad have emerged, as Mr Kerry likened the Syrian ruler to Hitler.

Mr Kerry visited Damascus in February 2009, when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He said in a press conference during the visit: "President Barack Obama's administration considers Syria a key player in Washington's efforts to revive the stalled Middle East peace process.

"Syria is an essential player in bringing peace and stability to the region."

Mr Kerry met with Mr Assad at least six times, and on one occasion – seen in the photographs – dining with the two men's wives at the Naranj restaurant in central Damascus.

The restaurant, in the heart of Damascus's Old Town, is on a marble paved avenue named Straight Street, which was built by the Romans and mentioned in the Bible. » | Harriet Alexander | Tuesday, September 03, 2013