RIYADH: Syrians at home and refugees abroad experienced a historic day on Sunday, as they awoke to news of the collapse of the Assad regime that had ruled the country for more than five decades.
Forces led by Abu Mohammed Al-Golani of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, took control of the capital Damascus on Sunday morning, the culmination of a rapid attack that began with the taking of Aleppo less than two weeks ago.
Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Al-Jalali was seen being escorted by Al-Golani’s men to a meeting in which he reportedly handed over power, while anti-regime groups announced on state TV that President Bashar Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners released.
Assad and his family arrived in Russia and were granted asylum by the Russian authorities, Russian news agencies reported, citing a Kremlin source.
The Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying: “President Assad of Syria has arrived in Moscow.
Russia has granted them (him and his family) asylum on humanitarian grounds.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the Israeli military to “seize” a demilitarized buffer zone on the Golan Heights-Syria border as a result of the overthrow of Assad.
“We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” he said.
Netanyahu said the events in Syria were “a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah.”
Saudi Arabia called for efforts to prevent Syria from falling into disarray.
“The Kingdom affirms its support for the brotherly Syrian people and their choice,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Kingdom appealed for “concerted efforts to preserve the unity of Syria and the cohesion of its people, so as to prevent it falling into chaos and division.”
A US National Security Council spokesperson posted on social media that “President (Joe) Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners.”
“The United States will continue to maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of (Daesh),” Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the fall of Assad.
“The developments in Syria in recent hours and days are unprecedented, and we are speaking to our partners in the region and monitoring the situation closely.
The Syrian people have suffered under Assad’s barbaric regime for too long and we welcome his departure,” Starmer said in a statement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference in Doha: “Turkiye calls on all actors to act with prudence and be watchful”.
