The Syrian president’s ousting “shows the weakness of Assad’s backers, Russia and Iran,” the EU’s top diplomat said.
Europeans on Sunday (8 December) welcomed the dramatic victory of rebel groups in the Syrian civil war, pointing to the weakness of his international backers Russia and Iran, but cautioned about what may follow.
The Group of Seven nations are arranging to hold a virtual summit on Dec 13 to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, Japanese government and diplomatic sources said.
The meeting, likely to be attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, comes ahead of the January return to the White House of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has cast doubt on the effectiveness of multilateral frameworks like the G7.
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. military should stay out of the escalating conflict in Syria as a shock opposition offensive closes in on the capital, declaring in a social media post, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.”
With world leaders watching the rapid rebel advance against Syria’s Russian- and Iranian-backed president, Bashar Assad, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser separately stressed that the Biden administration had no intention of intervening.
The United States will provide nearly $1 billion more in longer-term weapons support to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday as the Biden administration rushes to spend all the congressionally approved money it has left to bolster Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.
Géorgie
À une semaine de l’élection présidentielle géorgienne au suffrage indirect, la tentative de révolution colorée téléguidée et soutenue par l’Occident otanien (US-UE) semble s’essouffler, mais elle n’a peut-être pas dit son dernier mot. Il faudra aux autorités géorgiennes, confortées par le suffrage populaire, rester vigilantes jusqu’au bout, c’est à dire jusqu’à la mise en place d’un nouveau président dans 3 semaines.
On peut s’étonner que la contestation du résultat des élections législatives géorgiennes soit survenue alors même que le rapport de la mission d’observation de ces élections géorgiennes mandatée par l’OSCE a été positif. Il est vrai que les USA et l’UE préfèrent ignorer les conclusions du rapport de l’OSCE dès lors que les résultats de l’élection ne leur donnent pas satisfaction. «Contestez, contestez, il en restera toujours quelque chose»et l’on peut toujours tenter le coup d’une révolution colorée qui a marché tant de fois sur des narratifs bidons imaginés par les néocons de l’Occident otanien.
Former Syrian President Basher al-Assad and his family arrived in Moscow following the Kremlin’s offer of asylum, Tass reported on December 8.
Al-Assad and his family departed by private jet from Damascus and arrived in Abu Dhabi on late December 7, as rebels were closing in on Damascus. It is unclear when he left the capital of the United Arab Emirates to transfer to Moscow.
OSINT observers and military analysts monitoring developments in Syria have raised alarms about increased activity by Russian forces at their Khmeimim Air Base.
Reports highlight the arrival of multiple transport aircraft, a move some interpret as signaling a potential evacuation of critical Russian assets from the region.
The army command issued the statement early on Sunday following reports of the terrorists’ entrance in Damascus and Assad’s departure from the city.
Reuters, citing two army officers, said that Assad had earlier on Sunday flown out of Damascus for an unknown destination before the groups reached the city.
Today’s news round on Syria highlights the rapid escalation of conflict and its far-reaching implications. Rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkish-backed factions, have seized Aleppo in a major offensive, marking the most significant challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years. The fighting has spread to key areas like Hama, with intense clashes between government troops and insurgents, supported by foreign powers on both sides. The United States and Russia are also actively engaged, with Centcom destroying weapons threatening U.S. forces in eastern Syria, while Moscow accuses “external forces” of fueling violence. Analysts warn of broader geopolitical repercussions as Syria’s civil war shifts from stalemate to intensified proxy battles, underscoring the need for a strategic international response to address the deepening crisis.
“Where is the victory? How much did it cost? What defeat is more terrible than such losses? How can one claim victory in the face of a massacre that has destroyed all the logic of resistance? It’s not too late to ask Hezbollah to explain its unilateral and deadly decision to open the confrontation [with Israel] under Iran’s cover.” — Nabil Bou Monsef, prominent Lebanese journalist, kataeb.org, November 27, 2024.