Syrian Civil War and The future of Syria after liberation

Saifullah said:
All those weapons Assad regime had, why didn’t he attack israel?
Assad choose a war with his own people over israel.
The ones responsible for this are Assad and his supporters.
For someone living in Idlib or Aleppo Assad is no different than israel. What difference does it make if just the flag on the bombs is different?
Click to expand...

Syrian rebels say Bashar al-Assad has fled Damascus and claim to have captured capital – live updates​

Rebels say Damascus is ‘free’ of the ‘tyrant’ Bashar al-Assad after lightning advance across the country

LIVE Updated 1m ago




A man cheers on a street in Damascus on December 8, 2024. Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive.

A man cheers on a street in Damascus on 8 December 2024. Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive. Photograph: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images

Kate Lamb (now); Coral Murphy Marcos, Tom Ambrose and Hamish Mackay (earlier)
Sun 8 Dec 2024 05.30 GMT
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From 2h ago
03.27 GMT

Syrian rebels say Syria is free of Assad​

Syrian rebels claim to have captured the capital of Damascus, announcing the fall of the al-Assad regime, according to reports by Reuters and Al Jazeera.


“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement. “We declare Damascus free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad.”

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17m ago05.15 GMT

Damascus residents rejoice end of Assad rule​

We are now hearing from people in the capital who are rejoicing the apparent end of the Assad regime.

“My feelings are indescribable,” Omar Daher, a 29-year-old lawyer told Associated Press. “After the fear that he (Assad) and his father made us live in for many years, and the panic and state of terror that I was living in, I can’t believe it.”

Daher said his father was killed by security forces and his brother was in detention, his fate unknown. Assad “is a criminal, a tyrant and a dog,” he said.

Local residents cheer as they gather on a street in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana on 8 December 2024.
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Local residents cheer as they gather on a street in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana on 8 December 2024. Photograph: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
Crowds of Syrians gathered to celebrate in the central squares of Damascus, chanting anti-Assad slogans and honking car horns. In some areas, celebratory gunshots rang out.

“Damn his soul and the soul of the entire Assad family,” said Ghazal al-Sharif, another reveler in central Damascus. “It is the prayer of every oppressed person and God answered it today. We thought we would never see it, but thank God, we saw it.”

People stand atop a toppled statue of Syria’s late president Hafez al-Assad in Damascus on 8 December 2024.
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People stand atop a toppled statue of Syria’s late president Hafez al-Assad in Damascus on 8 December 2024. Photograph: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty ImagesShare

Updated at 05.30 GMT
32m ago05.00 GMT

White Helmets proclaim historic day in Syria​

Syria’s White Helmets civil defence forces has released a statement about the extraordinary events of the past few days, writes the Guardian’s Faisal Ali.

“The sun of freedom rises on the Syrians... the moment that has been long awaited for years... even decades... Syria, the homeland, is writing history today,” the group said in a video statement posted on X.


“Syria is on the path to justice... today is the day of work and construction.”

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43m ago04.49 GMT

The mood in Damascus​

A jubilant mood on the streets of Damascus at dawn, hours after a coalition of Islamist-led rebels claimed to have taken over the capital.

An incredible shot here.

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A man cheers on a street in Damascus on 8 December 8, 2024. Photograph: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
The celebrations continue.

People cheer while riding in a car along a street in Damascus on 8 December 2024.
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People cheer while riding in a car along a street in Damascus on 8 December 2024. Photograph: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty ImagesShare

Updated at 05.06 GMT
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50m ago04.43 GMT

Scenes from Damascus​

Dawn is breaking over the Syrian capital Damascus after an extraordinary sequence of events.

Television footage showed rebels in fatigues firing celebratory rounds into the sky, and yelling “Allah Akbar” hours after Islamist rebels claimed control of the city, and amid reports President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country to an unknown location.

On the streets people climbed on tanks to chant and gathered to celebrate.

Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday 8 December, 2024.
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Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday 8 December 2024. Photograph: Omar Sanadiki/AP
In a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family, the Syrian government appears to have fallen.

Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Photograph: Omar Sanadiki/APShare

1h ago04.12 GMT

Syrian PM says government ready to "extend its hand" to opposition​

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said in a video statement that the government is ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.

“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said, as reported by the Associated Press.

He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.

He did not address reports that President Bashar Assad has left the country.

There was no immediate comment from the United Arab Emirates on Assad’s whereabouts. Assad’s family has extensive real estate holdings in Dubai.

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2h ago04.00 GMT

Rebels in Syria proclaim end of 'dark era'​

Rebels in Syria have announced a new era in Syria after 50 years of Baath rule.

“After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement... we announce today, 12-8-2024, the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria.”

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2h ago03.42 GMT

Syrian army command tells officers that Assad’s rule has ended​

Syria’s army command has notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad’s rule has ended following a lightning rebel offensive, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move told Reuters.

Assad reportedly flew out of Damascus on Sunday for an unknown destination, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.

Syrian rebels said Damascus was “now free of Assad”.

Meanwhile, Syrian prime minister, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, said on Sunday that he remained at home and was ready to support continuity of governance.

On the streets of the capital, thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom”, witnesses said.

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Updated at 03.46 GMT
2h ago03.27 GMT

Syrian rebels say Syria is free of Assad​

Syrian rebels claim to have captured the capital of Damascus, announcing the fall of the al-Assad regime, according to reports by Reuters and Al Jazeera.


“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement. “We declare Damascus free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad.”

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2h ago03.19 GMT

War observatory claims Assad has left the country​

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad had left of the country, after losing swathes of territory to a lightning rebel offensive.

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2h ago03.14 GMT

A quick recap of events​

A lot has changed in 24 hours.

In the city of Homs, a statue of Assad’s father was symbolically torn down, after insurgents claimed control of the city.

Thousands took the streets amid rounds of celebratory gunfire.

The rapid advance of the coalition of rebel groups led by HTS has stunned not only observers and regional powers but also, it appears, the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Syrian rebels entered the capital Damascus and the whereabouts of the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, are unknown.

Reuters reported that he left the country for an unknown location. A war monitor has also confirmed that Assad has left.

Meanwhile footage from the airport in Damascus show people chaotically streaming in.

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3h ago02.52 GMT

A look at HTS - the Islamist group leading the Syrian offensive​

For those catching up on the lightning offensive in Syria led by the armed Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former branch of al-Qaida, here is a look at its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who has been described as a “pragmatic radical”.

Since breaking ties with Al-Qaida in 2016, Jolani has sought to portray himself as a more moderate leader. But he is yet to quell suspicions among analysts and western governments that still class HTS as a terrorist organisation.


Who is Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, leader of Syrian insurgents HTS?
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3h ago02.31 GMT

Syrian President Assad has reportedly fled Damascus​

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly left Damascus, boarding a plane for an unknown location, according to Reuters news, citing two senior Syrian officers familiar with the incident.

The Guardian was unable to independently confirm the report.

View image in fullscreen
A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime’s political security branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on 7 December, 2024. Photograph: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images
As the Guardian’s Ruth Michaelson writes, the Syrian president has not been seen publicly for days, despite reassurances from the presidency that he was working and remained in Damascus just a few hours ago.

Assad did not publicly address the Syrian people or his troops even as the insurgents advanced toward Damascus, and questions begun to mount about his whereabouts.

Assad’s last appearance was a week ago, during an urgent meeting with the Iranian foreign minister in Damascus. The Syrian leader was pictured grinning despite the insurgents taking control of Aleppo, the second largest city in Syria only a day earlier.

Syria’s armed opposition meanwhile say they have taken control of the radio and television building in the centre of Damascus, as per Al Jazeera.

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Updated at 02.34 GMT
3h ago02.03 GMT

Syrian rebels enter capital Damascus​

Rebel forces have entered the capital, Damascus, writes Guardian reporter Ruth Michaelson.

Video circulating online shows Syrian army forces removing their uniforms in the streets of the capital.

In a second post, the insurgents announced that they have begun freeing detainees from Sednaya prison, a notorious detention facility near Damascus.

Sednaya is considered a symbol of the Assad regime’s brutality, a place where tens of thousands of opponents of Assad’s rule have suffered extreme torture and abuse. The prison has been referred to over the years as a “human slaughterhouse”.

Here is what Amnesty International say about the facility:

Saydnaya Military Prison is located 30km north of Damascus, Syria. The prison is under the jurisdiction of the minister of defence and operated by the military police. Saydnaya became notorious for the use of torture and excessive force following a riot by detainees in 2008. There are two buildings on the Saydnaya site, which between them could contain 10,000-20,000 prisoners.

Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria in 2011, the prison has become the final destination for both peaceful opponents of the authorities as well as military personnel suspected of opposing the regime.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the Syrian army, and security forces, have left for Damascus International Airport, according to sources from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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4h ago01.41 GMT

Intense shooting heard in Syrian capital, Damascus​

Hours after Syrian rebels claimed full control of the key city of Homs and continued their march to the capital, intense sounds of shooting have been heard in the centre of Damascus, residents have said.

The source of the shooting was not immediately clear, two residents who live in a residential area close to the centre of the capital said, as reported by Reuters.

Rebel advancements in the past 24 hours have left President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule dangling by a thread.

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Syrian rebels say Bashar al-Assad has fled Damascus and claim to have captured capital – live updates

Rebels say Damascus is ‘free’ of the ‘tyrant’ Bashar al-Assad after lightning advance across the country
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
 
A1Kaid said:
You Al Qaeda/HTS supporting pos. Who asked you to read my post?
Click to expand...
Come on, it is a public forum. Any member has a right to read another person's post.

Well the Syrian rebels won, so I guess it is up to them to decide to make the government.
 
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Last edited:
Saifullah said:
All those weapons Assad regime had, why didn’t he attack israel?
Assad choose a war with his own people over israel.
The ones responsible for this are Assad and his supporters.
For someone living in Idlib or Aleppo Assad is no different than israel. What difference does it make if just the flag on the bombs is different?
Click to expand...

Attacking Israel directly wouldn’t be smart for Syria, it would only give the Israelis what they want, a reason to attack and take over all Syrian territory.

What a stupid question.

What Assad did do was directly support the war against Israel by bolstering the resistance.
 
A1Kaid said:
You Al Qaeda/HTS supporting pos. Who asked you to read my post?
Click to expand...
The irony. HTS split away and fought against Al Qaeda. Iran sheltered Saif Al Adel, the current de facto leader of Al Qaeda, for decades in Iran. Iran and Al Qaeda are working on alliances transferring weapons to Al Qaeda branches in Somalia via Houthis. Even in Yemen Iran made Al Qaeda and Houthis reach an agreement. Iran is the new backer of Al Qaeda despite what Al Qaeda has done previously.
Where is Saif Al Adel currently?
 
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Last edited:
A1Kaid said:
Attacking Israel directly wouldn’t be smart for Syria, it would only give the Israelis what they want, a reason to attack and take over all Syrian territory.

What a stupid question.

What Assad did do was directly support the war against Israel by bolstering the resistance.
Click to expand...
“Directly support the war” by sending troops to the north to shell innocent civilians in Idlib?
The Hamas attack on October 7 was only a bit more than a year ago. What justification do you have for the 50+ years of Assad dynasty oppression of Syrians?
Or are you going to call all of that a Zionist conspiracy as well?



IMG_3516.jpeg

This infographic was from 4 years ago btw. In the recent years Assad significantly stepped up attacks on civilians especially this year in Idlib.

Will you present some facts to defend assad or will you continue to call it all Zionist conspiracy? You’d expect someone with a think tank consultant title to talk facts or remain quiet. But I guess that’s not the case.
 
What a time to be alive.

May Almighty make us more powerful through which to set us free.
 
@Kyussis keep laughing. First solumani became a kabob now his proxies became kabobs.
Assad kabob soon. He’s not going to live for long.
You’ll have another reason to do matam soon. Actually x2.
 
Muji.Iqbal said:
Sorry mate, we are not Arabs to destroy our countries through civil war, although I do believe the Syrian revolution was justified.
Click to expand...

It requires a lot of sacrifices

Are Pakistanis ready and willing to make such sacrifices? That's the question.
 
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Saifullah said:
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This invasion didn’t start today. It actually started when Assad regime and Russian military police abandoned border posts near Golan many times over the last few months. Israel invaded almost a month ago and conducted “raids” inside Syrian territory but everyone was quiet then. Even Assad didn’t so shit inside he turned the other cheek.

Assad and Russia sold out Qunaitra.

The border along Golan was heavily mined on both sides. Why did Assad allow israel to slowly de mine and create gaps in the border?

www.timesofisrael.com

Israel said demining along Golan frontier, signaling op against Hezbollah could widen

Sources tell Reuters that Israeli forces are moving fence in demilitarized zone with Syria, suggesting they could move to strike Lebanese terror group from further east
www.timesofisrael.com www.timesofisrael.com
www.timesofisrael.com

IDF building along UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in Syria, satellite images show

Photos show trenches and fortifications being constructed along Syrian side of Golan Heights border; UN confirms Israeli encroachment 'into the area of separation'
www.timesofisrael.com www.timesofisrael.com

Now you guys want to spin it like rebels are responsible for Assad turning the other cheek for Zionists and Iran and its proxies being cowards. So much for “one front”.
Click to expand...
 
clutch said:
Baathists are gone into the garbage bin of history. Only Islam will remain until the Last Days.
Click to expand...
The Baath party was one of the biggest mistakes to exist in the Arab world. It brought nothing but destruction.
 
Saifullah said:
“Directly support the war” by sending troops to the north to shell innocent civilians in Idlib?
The Hamas attack on October 7 was only a bit more than a year ago. What justification do you have for the 50+ years of Assad dynasty oppression of Syrians?
Or are you going to call all of that a Zionist conspiracy as well?



View attachment 87115

This infographic was from 4 years ago btw. In the recent years Assad significantly stepped up attacks on civilians especially this year in Idlib.

Will you present some facts to defend assad or will you continue to call it all Zionist conspiracy? You’d expect someone with a think tank consultant title to talk facts or remain quiet. But I guess that’s not the case.
Click to expand...
Supporting Assad after he has killed 600,000+ of his own people for no good reason while crying about the number of Gazan's dead during war with Israel needs extreme cognitive dissonance.
 
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