Syria on Sunday took the brunt of dozens of airstrikes by US Central Command forces, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said America would help bring former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to justice.
Washington will support international efforts to bring to justice those who helped the outgoing Assad, as well as influential government officials who worked under the former administration, Blinken said, reiterating the position of US President Joe Biden, who also called for holding Assad accountable.
US military forces carried out about 70 airstrikes on the infrastructure of the ISIS terrorist group in Syria. The actions were aimed at preventing the strengthening of the position of this organisation in the region.
Israel also launched airstrikes on Damascus, where Iranian missiles are allegedly being developed. Also, a neighbourhood of government buildings, including customs and intelligence, are on fire after the Israeli air force strikes. Some airfields have also been attacked. The Israeli Air Force has struck more than 100 targets in Syria in the past few hours.
After establishing control over the Syrian capital, the command of the armed opposition groups by their first decree tried to somehow calm the civilian population. In particular, a strict ban on encroachments on private and public property was declared, and a call was made not to use weapons in order not to frighten the inhabitants of the city.
“Historic moment” for Syria
The commander of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said Syria was experiencing a “historic moment” and was being given the opportunity to build “a new country based on democracy and justice.”
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali, who refused to leave the capital, expressed his willingness to negotiate with the opposition. He said:
“We are ready to co-operate with any government that Syrians choose. I call on everyone to think rationally and think about the country.” His main demand to the opposition is that they “do not harm Syrians.”
Despite the soothing rhetoric, the situation in Damascus remains difficult. The Iranian embassy has been vandalised, the Damascus airport is not working, the General Staff and television buildings have been seized, and all prisoners have been released from prisons.
According to Israeli media reports, clashes have begun in northern Syria between Kurdish groups and Turkish-backed forces. Tel Aviv has stepped up its actions, announcing the imposition of a “closed military zone” in the Israeli-controlled Golan.
Robbery and looting in the streets of Syria
Footage of the looting of Syria’s central bank has appeared on social networks and in the media. Cash and other valuables are being taken out of the building. Boxes of banknotes are being stacked by armed groups on the adjacent territory and taken away in pickup trucks.
Reports have also emerged of the looting of Bashar al-Assad’s presidential palace in the capital. The militants are looting the palace and destroying its property.
Meanwhile, media reported on Monday that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow with his family, Russia has granted him asylum. The former Syrian president, 59, has ruled the country since 2000, taking over as head of state after his father, Hafez al-Assad, in a non-alternative referendum.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, leader of the party Debout la France (France Arise), wrote on X:
“The West is once again playing with fire, preferring to give Islamists a free hand at the expense of a secular regime. The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime is a terrible threat to the balance in the Middle East, to Christians and to our security.”
