Defence Minister Israel Katz says that Israeli soldiers are seizing “additional points” in the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, according to Ynet News.
US officials have discussed the merits of removing a $10m bounty on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, whose rebel group swept into Damascus and toppled the government of President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, a senior Arab official briefed by Washington told Middle East Eye.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi disclosed that Tehran had alerted the Syrian government about an impending offensive by militants before it was launched. Still, the Syrian army was “surprisingly” incapable of countering the lightning onslaught.
The whirlwind of developments in Syria and the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government have sparked significant regional and international reactions, including in Iran.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been granted asylum in Russia and is currently in Moscow with his family, RIA Novosti and TASS reported on Sunday, citing Kremlin sources. The development comes as militants seized control of Damascus, effectively ending Assad’s 24-year rule.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Bashar Assad has stepped down as Syrian president and left the country following negotiations with armed opposition groups after the fall of Damascus to militants.
Washington will maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of the ISIS terror group, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro said on Sunday.
The leader of the main armed opposition group in Syria has announced that former Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali will supervise state institutions until they are handed over, as fighters declared an end to Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule.
Syria, a critical geostrategic point in West Asia, has long been a battleground for numerous regional and international actors, each pursuing their own interests, a former Iranian diplomat believes.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it has deployed troops to the buffer zone with Syria to secure the Golan Heights. This move comes amid a swift offensive by armed groups that have seized control of significant areas in Syria, including the capital, Damascus.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is said to have fled Damascus to an unknown destination as opposition fighters entered Damascus and people poured out onto the streets and public squares in celebration.
The renewed fighting between militant groups and government forces in Syria has displaced around 280,000 people in a matter of days, the United Nations has reported.
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has warned that Israel and its allied armed groups seek to turn Syria into a center of “terrorism and threat” against the whole region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned that the threat of militant groups active in Syria will not be limited to the war-ravaged country and will spread to Iraq and Turkey.
Syrian rebels pushed their offensive on Homs on Friday, hours after thousands of people began to flee the key city amid the opposition’s lightning offensive.
The Syrian government has announced its counteroffensive has pushed back militants trying to advance to the strategic west-central city of Hama, while opposition side claims they captured more Syrian soldiers and Iran-backed fighters in fierce battles.
As clashes between the Syrian armed forces and militants have been going on for several days, a former Iranian ambassador says no single country can independently dictate the broader political changes in the Arab country.
The US military has carried out a strike in self defense against weapon systems in eastern Syria, the Pentagon has said, adding it was unrelated to the ongoing rebel advances in the country.
The United Nations has expressed alarm over spiraling violence in Syria as militant groups continue to battle pro-government troops in the central province of Hama.
Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian foreign minister, has called for the international community’s instant reaction to the eruption of terrorism in Syria.
