Live Blog Update| Syria War
This is an entry from: Live: Over 100,000 bodies found in mass grave near Damascus

Evening recap

10 December 2024 23:47 GMT

Our liveblog will shortly be closing until tomorrow morning.

Here are the day's key developments:

-Islamic State (IS) group fighters on Tuesday killed at least 54 people in Syria's Homs region, all of whom are said to have been former members of the Bashar al-Assad government and tried to flee upon its collapse on Saturday.

-Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany said on Tuesday that the rebel forces have completely taken control over the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor, including the al-Taym oil field. 

-The US-backed Kurdish Syrian forces (SDF) and Syria's Turkey-backed rebels reached a ceasefire agreement in the northern city of Manbij through a US mediation "to ensure the safety and security of civilians," SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said early on Wednesday.

-The US has said it's ready to recognize the new Syrian leadership if minorities are protected, and terrorism is prevented. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement on Tuesday lending the Biden administration's "full support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition".

-Blinken also spoke about the situation in Syria on Tuesday with counterparts from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. 

-In a video posted on Tuesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he vows that Syria's new government will face the same fate as the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad, should it threaten Israel. 

-The Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday issued a statement condemning Israel's seizure of the buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights. "The occupation is in violation and contravention of international law," the statement said, citing the disengagement deal of 1974 between Israel and Syria.

-The head of US Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, visited Kurdish and US-backed forces at "several bases" in northwestern Syria on Tuesday. "He received a firsthand assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation. USCENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS," a statement said. 

-The Russian deputy foreign minister has confirmed to NBC News that ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was transported to the Russian capital, Moscow, "in the most secure way possible".