The situation in and around Syria is fluid, but one thing is clear: The Bashar al-Assad regime is finished.
Here’s what we know, per the latest reports:
Damascus has been seized by Syrian opposition forces.
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Assad has reportedly fled Syria, and his whereabouts are unknown; a plane purported to be carrying him disappeared shortly after it departed Damascus late Saturday/early Sunday.
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In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the following statement:
This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers.
We send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the… pic.twitter.com/yJZE3AZZJn
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 8, 2024
This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers.
This collapse is a direct result of our forceful action against Hezbollah and Iran, Assad’s main supporters. It set off a chain reaction of all those who want to free themselves from this tyranny and its oppression.
But it also means we have to take action against possible threats. One of them is the collapse of the Separation of Forces Agreement from 1974 between Israel and Syria. This agreement held for 50 years. Last night, it collapsed. The Syrian army abandoned its positions. We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found.
Equally, we send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the Christians, and to the Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel.
We’re going to follow events very carefully. If we can establish neighborly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that’s our desire. But if we do not, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel.
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Netanyahu Abrogates 1974 Peace Deal With Syria and Orders IDF Into Buffer Zone
President-elect Donald Trump also issued a statement regarding Assad’s ouster on Truth Social, tying it into the war in Ukraine, calling for a ceasefire, and encouraging Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate, even invoking China’s assistance:
Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever. Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success. Likewise, Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!
President Joe Biden who, unlike Trump, did not travel to France for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, has remained relatively mum, the only statement from the White House late Saturday evening being:
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President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners.
