Live: Over 100,000 bodies found in mass grave near Damascus
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Yemen's Houthi rebel group said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad closed down their embassy in Damascus in exchange for the opening of the Saudi embassy in 2023.
Speaking shortly after Assad's government collapsed in Damascus, Nasruddin Amer - a spokesperson for the group who are also known as Ansarallah - wrote on X to those asking about the safety of their embassy in Syria.
"Our embassy in Syria was closed by Bashar in exchange for the opening of the Saudi embassy," he said.
"The ambassador of our government and the embassy staff left and returned to [Yemeni capital] Sanaa at around October 2023."
The Houthis have often been referred to as part of the Axis of Resistance, a group of countries and actors across the Middle East with links to Iran who are staunchly opposed to Israel.
Read more: Houthis say Assad closed their embassy in exchange for Saudi one opening
The US Army’s Central Command (Centcom) has announced that it conducted “dozens of precision airstrikes” on the Islamic State group's camps and operatives in central Syria.
“The operation struck over 75 targets using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s. Battle damage assessments are underway, and there are no indications of civilian casualties,” Centcom wrote on X.
It added that it will continue to work with partners in the region to “degrade ISIS operational capabilities even during this dynamic period in Syria”.
General Michael Erik Kurilla said, “There should be no doubt – we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria.”
“All organisations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way,” he added.
𝐔.𝐒. 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐚
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 8, 2024
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted dozens of precision airstrikes targeting known ISIS camps and… pic.twitter.com/E7CUPuPehf
Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had "never asked" for Tehran's aid against the rebels that overtook Damascus in a lightning offensive.
"We were never asked for help," Araghchi said in a live interview on state television, adding that it was Syrian army's duty to counter the offensive, which on Sunday toppled Assad. Iran had backed the Syrian leader during his country's years-long war, in which forces of the Tehran-backed Hezbollah movement also supported the government.
The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Damascus in just a matter of days was not entirely a surprise for Ankara.
The Syrian military had been offering little resistance, and senior Turkish officials had long seen Assad’s downfall as inevitable. However, no one predicted that the collapse of the Syrian government would happen so rapidly.
Turkish officials last month had only permitted a limited operation by Syrian armed opposition groups aligned with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to exert pressure on Assad and his Iranian allies.
Yet, they did not anticipate the sudden capture of Aleppo. The primary reasoning behind this operation was the repeated attacks by Syrian government forces on residential areas in Idlib, which regularly drove civilians toward the Turkish border.
The timing was also ripe. Russia was preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, while Hezbollah and Iran were focused on Israel.
Additionally, the United States was in a transitional period, with President-elect Donald Trump set to take office within a month. Ankara was considering a limited operation to secure the small but strategically important area of Tal Rifaat while HTS launched its offensive.
However, what began as a limited operation quickly escalated into a significant campaign, resulting in the capture of entire cities in just 11 days. This development has positioned Ankara as the most dominant force in Syria.
Read more: What's next for Turkey in Syria
US President Joe Biden, on Sunday, called Bashar al-Assad's fall from power a "moment of historic opportunity" for Syria, and stated that the US will support the country's neighbours during the period of democratic transition.
"The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice," Biden said, speaking from the White House. "It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria."
Biden also highlighted that the White House is mindful that Americans are in Syria, and he believes that American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted a decade ago in Damascus, is alive.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria showed that Russia and its allies can be defeated, as Poland's neighbour Ukraine battles Moscow's forces.
Moscow had offered military support to help Assad, a key Kremlin ally, crush the opposition in Syria's more than a decade-long civil war.
"The events in Syria have made the world realise once again, or at least they should, that even the most cruel regime may fall and that Russia and its allies can be defeated," Tusk said on social media platform X.
The events in Syria have made the world realise once again, or at least they should, that even the most cruel regime may fall and that Russia and its allies can be defeated.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) December 8, 2024
The Palestinian Authority said that the State of Palestine and its people stand by the Syrian people, respecting their will and political choices, in a way that guarantees their security and stability and preserves their achievements, the Wafa news agency reported.
"We reaffirm the need to respect the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, and to preserve its security and stability, wishing continued progress and prosperity for the brotherly Syrian people," PA said in a statement.
The statement emphasized the importance of all political parties prioritizing the interests of the Syrian people.
It also said that doing so would restore Syria's key role in the region and the world, which would also support the Palestinian people's cause for freedom and independence.
Syria's deposed president, Bashar al-Assad, and his family have arrived in Moscow, Sky News reported, citing Russian state media Tass.
Moscow has granted asylum to the Assad family, Tass said.
BREAKING: Russian state media is reporting that Bashar al Assad is in Moscow
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 8, 2024
Latest: https://t.co/XWAFmEqCLX
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/dF3M96wjRn
More than 900 people, including 138 civilians, have been killed since Syrian rebels launched a major offensive 11 days ago, culminating in their control of Damascus, a war monitor said on Sunday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it "documented, since the launch of the [rebel] operation on November 27, 910 people killed". The toll includes 138 civilians, 380 Syrian troops and allied fighters, and 392 rebels.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that Syria’s new government must be “inclusive” to all parties.
“The new government body should be inclusive of all parties,” he said, speaking at Qatar’s Doha Forum conference. “Opposition groups should be united now.”
Fidan’s comments were made hours after Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebel forces. Turkey has verbally backed the rebel offensive that suddenly toppled the Syrian government.
A few days before the rebels’ capture of Damascus, Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan said: “Our hope is that this march in Syria proceeds without any accidents or troubles.”
As the rebel victory is confirmed, Fidan used his time in Doha to urge the international community to support Syrians.
“As of this morning, Syria has reached a stage where the Syrian people will shape the future of their own country,” he said. “Today, there is hope. The Syrian people cannot achieve this alone. The international community must support the Syrian people.”
“Turkey attaches great importance to the national unity, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Syria, and the wellbeing of the Syrian people,” he added.
Read more: Turkey's Fidan calls for internationally backed 'inclusive' Syrian government
Amnesty International has urged for justice against those responsible for rights violations in Syria, describing the period following Bashar al-Assad’s fall as a “historic opportunity” to bring an end to decades of grave human rights violations.
“Under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, and before him his father Hafez al-Assad, Syrians have been subjected to a horrifying catalogue of human rights violations that caused untold human suffering on a vast scale," Amnesty International head Agnes Callamard said in a statement.
"Suspected perpetrators of crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations must be investigated and, if warranted, prosecuted for their crimes in fair trials and without the possibility of the death penalty," Callamard said.
The Sayyida Zeinab Shia shrine in south Damascus has been left untouched by Syrian rebels, who have not confronted Iraqi paramilitary groups, Iraqi fighters told Middle East Eye.
Iraqi Shia paramilitaries said they were not attacked by rebel forces in Syria and have been left to return to Iraq unhindered.
The rebels, who overran Damascus on Saturday and toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad, have also avoided any aggression around Sayyida Zeinab, an important religious site that Shia fighters from Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iran have sought to protect during Syria’s civil war.
“What happened is unbelievable. They [the rebels] were passing by us and they didn’t even stop,” a commander in an Iraqi armed faction in Syria told MEE.
The rebel commanders “told us that no one would attack us or harm us as long as we were not armed”, he said, “and they also pledged not to attack the holy shrines, the Shia and the rest of the minorities”.
Read more: Syria's Sayyida Zeinab Shia shrine left unharmed, Iraqi fighters say
US President Joe Biden will on Sunday meet with his national security advisers over Syria, where rebels declared they had taken Damascus and ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
"The President will meet with his national security team this morning to receive an update on the situation in Syria," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett posted on X.
Three Israeli air strikes targeted a major government security complex in the Kafr Sousa district of Damascus, setting its buildings on fire.
"Israeli strikes targeted a security complex in Damascus near the former regime's buildings" including intelligence, customs and a military headquarters, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Israel has previously said that Iranian scientists used a research building in the complex, which includes the military intelligence, to develop missiles.
The Israeli military issued a warning to five towns in southern Syria, calling on residents to stay at home "until further notice" due to ongoing combat in the area.
The towns include Quneitra, Ofaniya, al-Hamidiyeh, western Samadaniyah and al-Qahtaniah.
The Arabic media spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, said on X: "The fighting inside your area is forcing the Israeli army to act."
