A bunch of unknown gunmen stormed the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Sunday after Islamist rebels took town and overthrew the regime of Bashar Assad, who the Russian Overseas Ministry says fled the nation and left “instructions” for a switch of energy.
Iranian state tv reported on the embassy incident, saying they didn’t consider the gunmen had been affiliated with the wider insurgent group that took town. Iran had withdrawn most of its officers and their households on Saturday, leaving solely a handful of diplomats.
“It is said that the Iranian embassy was stormed alongside nearby stores by an armed group different from the group now controlling [most of] Syria,” Iranian state TV mentioned, referring to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which spearheaded latest insurgent advances.
Arab and Iranian media have shared footage from contained in the embassy’s premises, the place assailants rummaged via furnishings and paperwork contained in the constructing and broken some home windows.
ISLAMIST REBELS IN SYRIA CATCH ASSAD, PUTIN, IRAN REGIMES OFF GUARD GIVING US NEW MIDEAST HEADACHE
Insurgent fighters stand close to the Iranian embassy with a torn poster of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and late Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ prime commander Qassem Soleimani after Syrian rebels introduced that they’ve ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria December 8, 2024. (REUTERS/Firas Makdesi)
Assad and his British-born spouse, Asma al-Assad, fled Damascus with their three kids this weekend, in response to Syrian tv experiences. It was not identified the place they had been headed.
A video assertion from a gaggle of males on Syrian state TV mentioned that Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners have been let loose.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali mentioned early Sunday he did not know the whereabouts of Assad. He instructed the Saudi tv community Al-Arabiyya that they misplaced communication Saturday night time.
Russia’s Overseas Ministry mentioned in a Telegram submit Sunday that Assad left Syria following negotiations with insurgent teams, and that the long-time Syrian chief had left “instructions” to “transfer power peacefully.” The Russian ministry mentioned the Kremlin was indirectly concerned in these discussions.
TOPSHOT – An image taken on the entrance of the Kweyris navy airfield within the jap a part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024 exhibits a portrait of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and a nationwide flag within the rubbish dumpster following the take over of the realm by insurgent teams. (Picture by RAMI AL SAYED/AFP through Getty Photographs)
Crowds of Syrians gathered within the central squares of Damascus to have fun the information of Assad’s departure. Some chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked horns. In different areas, celebratory gunshots rang out.
Syria has been embroiled in a bloody, almost 14-year civil struggle as Islamist rebels regarded to overthrow the Assad dynasty. The obvious collapse of greater than 50 years of Assad household rule over the Syrian Arabian Republic is a monumental turning level in Center East politics.
The overthrow of Assad in Syria presents yet one more disaster within the Center East dealing with the incoming Trump administration. (Getty Photographs)
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the Islamist chief of HTS, who has a $10 million bounty on his head from the U.S., seeks to current a toned-down model of the unconventional Islamism that has outlined his years of preventing in Syria and in Iraq towards American troops. Al-Golani was detained by the U.S. navy within the first decade of this century.
Syrian consultants have instructed Fox Information Digital that HTS seeks to impose a totalitarian Islamist regime on the inhabitants. Phillip Smyth, an professional on Iranian regime proxy teams and Syria, who’s with the Atlantic Council, instructed Fox Information Digital, “HTS is a gaggle that’s an outgrowth of Al-Qaeda and has connections to Turkey. Their endgame is to create a Taliban-esque society with a number of tweaks.”
Syrian opposition fighters take away a authorities Syrian flag from an official constructing in Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria Syria, Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Picture/Ghaith Alsayed)
Al-Golani banned his fighters from opening hearth into the air in Damascus.
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“Public institutions will remain under the supervision of the prime minister until they are officially handed over,” he mentioned in an announcement printed on his group’s social media retailers.
Fox Information’ Benjamin Weinthal and Bradford Betz and Reuters contributed to this report
