Watch: Residents of Israel-occupied Golan Heights celebrate fall of Assad
Residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have been filmed chanting, waving flags and handing out sweet treats as they celebrated the fall of Bashar al Assad.
Israel captured the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War in 1967 and later annexed it.
On Sunday it moved troops into a demilitarised buffer zone next to the Golan Heights in what it called a temporary security measure.
Much of the international community, apart from the US, considers it as occupied territory and the Arab League has condemned Israel for what it called efforts to take advantage of Mr Assad’s downfall to secure more territory.
British government reiterates calls for protection of Syrian population
Downing Street has called on “all sides” in Syria to “protect civilians” and ensure “essential aid” can reach people.
Yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer said he “welcomes” the departure of the “barbaric” regime of Bashar al Assad.
Today, the PM’s official spokesman said: “As the prime minister said, the Syrian people have had to put up with Assad’s brutal regime for far too long.
“It took countless lives, spread instability across the region and led to horrendous suffering amongst the Syrian people.
“Our focus now is ensuring a political solution prevails and peace and stability is restored in Syria. We call on all sides to protect civilians and ensure essential aid can reach the most vulnerable in the coming hours and days.”
Sir Keir is in the Middle East on a trip to speak to both the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Central Bank of Syria says deposits are safe
The Central Bank of Syria has assured citizens that their deposits are safe.
In a post on Facebook, the bank said: “The Central Bank of Syria continues its work, and it will continue to monitor and supervise the work of the banking and non-banking financial institutions.
The statement added the bank did not withdraw any amount of Syrian pounds from circulation.
White Helmets offer $3,000 reward for information about Assad’s secret prisons
The White Helmets rescue organisation is offering a $3,000 (£2,300) reward for any information leading to the identification of any secret prisons the Assad regime is rumoured to have run in Syria.
The group has dispatched teams to search for hidden underground cells in prisons that are still believed to hold detainees.
“We extend a special invitation to former security officers and those working in the security branches to help in accessing these secret prisons, as we emphasise the importance and necessity of this contribution, and we guarantee to them that we will maintain the confidentiality of the sources,” the White Helmets said in a statement.
It also urged the families and relatives of detainees to “be patient” and avoid damaging any evidence in the prisons which might be used in future cases against the regime.
“We express our full solidarity with the families and relatives of the victims and fully understand their feelings of waiting for their loved ones and children,” the statement said.
“But we appeal to them to be patient and not to dig in the prisons or tamper with them because this leads to the destruction of physical evidence that may be essential to revealing the facts and supporting the efforts of justice and accountability, and we assure them that our specialised teams are ready to deal with any prison in which they expect to find detainees.”
US searching for journalist Austin Tice in Syria prisons, White House says
The White House’s national security adviser says American officials are liaising with people in Syria to try to find information about Austin Tice, an American journalist captured more than 12 years ago.
The former US Marine and freelance journalist was 31 when he was abducted in August 2012 while reporting in Damascus on an uprising against Bashar al Assad.
Syria had denied he was being held.
“This is a top priority for us – to find Austin Tice, to locate the prison where he may be held, get him out, get him home safely to his family,” Jake Sullivan told ABC.
“We are talking through the Turks and others to people on the ground in Syria to say, ‘Help us with this. Help us get Austin Tice home.’”
Yesterday, US President Joe Biden said the government believes Mr Tice is alive and that Assad should be held accountable.
“We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence to that yet,” he said, adding efforts were ongoing to locate him.
Tice’s family have said it’s their understanding that Austin is alive in Syria, though have refrained from saying how they know this information.
NATO: Russia and Iran share responsibility for crimes committed against Syrian people
NATO’s secretary-general Mark Rutte says both Russia and Iran should share responsibility for the crimes committed against the Syrian people under the regime of Bashar al Assad.
He said the two countries were the “main backers” of the Assad regime, but that both Moscow and Tehran proved to be “unreliable partners, abandoning Assad when he ceased to be of use to them”.
Rutte added that the toppling of the Assad regime is a “moment of joy” and that he hoped for a peaceful transition of power and an inclusive, Syrian-led political process.
“We will be closely watching to see how the rebel leaders conduct themselves during this transition,” he said.
“They must uphold the rule of law, protect civilians and respect religious minorities.”
Watch: Syrian rebel leader cheered in Damascus
The leader of the rebel group that toppled Syrian president Bashar al Assad has been swamped by supporters as he entered a mosque in Damascus.
Hayat Tahrir al Sham chief Mohammad al Jolani smiled and waved at crowds as he walked.
Life slowly returns to normal in Damascus
The Syrian capital is quiet today, with things slowly starting to return to normal.
Most shops and public institutions are closed and there is no public transport, but civilian traffic has resumed and there is little sign of any security presence.
Long lines have formed in front of bakeries and other food stores, and Associated Press reporters saw a few SUVs on the side of a main boulevard that appeared to have been broken into.
Some people are still celebrating in public squares.
Hamas congratulates Syrian people
Hamas has congratulated the Syrian people for “achieving aspirations for freedom and justice”.
The Iran-backed militant group, which has been fighting Israel in Gaza since 7 October 2023, says it hopes Syria’s national unity allows it to continue its “historical and pivotal role” in supporting the Palestinian people.
“There are two ways of looking at that,” says international correspondent Alex Rossi.
“One is support for the Palestinian people more broadly and the Palestinian cause.
“And then the other way of looking at it is support for Hamas in terms of material, weapons, providing finance to the organisation.”
Rossi says the recent events in Syria have made Hamas even weaker than it already was.
He says the fall of the Assad regime marks the collapse of a key flank of Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’.
‘Extraordinary’: Flag of Russia’s enemy flying in Moscow
It is “extraordinary” to see the Syrian opposition flag flying on the embassy in Moscow, given it represents the very forces Russia has been trying to destroy for almost a decade, says Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett.
There have still been no sightings of Bashar al Assad, but the Kremlin has provided “cryptic comments” suggesting reports that he has been granted asylum in Russia were correct.
“That would come as no surprise, given that Moscow has done so much in the last decade to try and keep him in power,” said Bennett.
What is for certain is that he is not in the Syrian embassy, he said.