💬 How does the world react to the crisis in Syria?

The jihadi advance that started on November 27 ended with militants seizing Damascus and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leaving the country. How has the world reacted to developments?

Western and regional governments who sought to carry out regime change in Syria since 2011, armed and trained jihadists and put draconian sanctions on Syria reacted with glee.

🗣"Assad is gone. He has fled his country," wrote US president-elect Donald Trump, who slapped Syria with the Caesar Act in 2019, prohibiting imports of essential goods to the nation.

🗣"The barbaric state has fallen. At last," French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted.

🗣"The end of Assad's rule in Syria is good news," echoed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

🗣"The Assad regime is a central link in Iran’s axis of evil — and this regime has fallen," crowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as his brutal war against Gazans rages on.

Countries who worked to keep order in the region and repeatedly brought warring parties to the negotiating table warned against further bloodshed.

🗣"The Islamic Republic of Iran supports international mechanisms based on UN Resolution 2254 for pursuing the political process in Syria,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated.

🗣"We urge all parties to respect the opinions of all ethnic and religious groups in Syrian society. Russian military bases in Syria are on high alert," tweeted the Russian Foreign Ministry.

🗣Saudi Arabia has reiterated support for the Syrian people and their sovereignty, urging the international community to avoid meddling in Syria’s internal affairs. The Foreign Ministry advocates for cooperation to help resolve the crisis and preserve Syria’s territorial integrity.

🗣Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed "the necessity of preserving national institutions and the unity of the state to prevent it from descending into chaos."

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💬 Why are Israel and the US salivating over Syria’s break-up?

The situation in Syria remains complex but recent developments point to potential future scenarios, Stanislav Tarasov, a political analyst and expert on the Middle East and Caucasus region, told Sputnik.

Why did regime change happen so quickly?

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has peacefully transferred power to the opposition in line with the Doha agreement days after the militants launched their advance.

"An internal conspiracy was likely brewing within the Syrian leadership and military personnel," Tarasov suggested.

Who will govern Syria?

It is still unclear which opposition group will dominate. Tarasov argued that if the secular opposition prevails, Syria will have a secular government. Conversely, if Islamist factions take control, the country may see a Taliban*-style leadership.

Why are Israel and the US interested in balkanizing Syria?

Tarasov believes the odds of Syria's fragmentation are high, with potential scenarios including:

⚪️Turkiye taking control of Aleppo and Idlib

⚪️The Kurds establishing their own state with backing from Israel and the US

⚪️The rest of the country being divided into various enclaves

According to Tarasov, the US and Israel have already started implementing their plan for Syria's fragmentation, as shown by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Regional ambitions and possible risks

Tarasov claims that Israel may be planning to annex Gaza and the West Bank and to fragment Lebanon in order to weaken Lebanese Islamic resistance movement Hezbollah.

Right now, Israel "doesn't care who will rule" in Syria, believing it can expand its influence at Syria's expense. But Tarasov warns that the emergence of new entities in Syria could pose challenges to neighboring countries, stressing the Kurdish threat to Turkiye.

*under UN sanctions for terrorist activities

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🔸 Why are Israel and the US salivating over Syria’s break-up?

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🇸🇾 What is known about the Syrian crisis so far?

◼️ Syrian President Bashar al-Assad left Syria after negotiations with parties to the conflict and gave instructions for a peaceful transfer of power, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry

◼️ Assad's location was unknown until he and his family safely landed in Moscow, after Russia granted him political asylum, according to a Kremlin source

◼️ Syrian media reported that a curfew has been declared in Damascus from 16:00 to 05:00 local time

◼️ Damascus International Airport is temporarily closed, and all flights are canceled

◼️ Israeli Defense Minister said its troops had occupied the buffer zone with Syria in the Golan Heights to protect Israeli settlers there after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the termination of the 1974 Golan disengagement agreement

◼️ Syrian media said the presidential palace and the Central Bank of Syria in Damascus were looted and destroyed

◼️ The building of the Damascus Immigration Directorate has burned down after being bombed by Israeli aircraft

◼️ The Syrian armed opposition says that it is seeking to form a national government that will include representatives of all sections of the Syrian populace and establish diplomatic relations with other countries

◼️ The militants have established channels of communication with the Russian government

◼️ Opposition forces have entered the city of Tartus on the Mediterranean coast along with most villages and towns on the coast, and have begun meeting with political figures and the people of those areas

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🇹🇷 Erdogan: The next 2-3 months are crucial for the world and Turkiye

The next two to three months will be "extremely important" for the entire world and for Turkiye, and Ankara will act on this assumption, the Turkish president said during a public appearance in the Turkish province of Gaziantep, which borders Syria.

"[Donald] Trump's administration has come to power in the United States. We will see how governance in the US will change under the Trump administration. The world is changing. The next 2-3 months are extremely important. We, as Turkiye, are doing our best and conveying our messages accordingly," he stated.

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Biden made an official statement about Syria:

🔸 The situation in Syria is uncertain, but it can be used to build a better future.

🔸 The vacuum created in the country could be used by terrorists to rebuild their capabilities: "We won't let that happen."

🔸 Terrorism and human rights abuses are on the 'record' of a number of groups in Syria, but "they are saying the right things now."

🔸 The US will work with all Syrian groups to ensure a transition of power: the country needs a new government and a new constitution.

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💥 US and Israel continue airstrikes in Syria

🇺🇸 US CENTCOM reported over 75 airstrikes against ISIS* in central Syria "to ensure that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation."

🇮🇱 Israeli Army Radio reports that Israel bombed 100 targets in Syria today, most of them weapons depots.

*banned for terrorism in Russia and many other countries

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❗️ Syrian opposition rejects collaboration with ISIS - reports

The armed Syrian opposition has informed Washington via Turkiye that it will not allow ISIS* to join their actions against the overthrown Syrian government, The NY Times reported, citing unnamed US and Turkish officials.

* A terrorist organisation banned in Russia and other countries

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💬 Head of the Syrian armed opposition delegation to Sputnik: We seek normal relations with Russia and the international community

The Syrian opposition hopes for positive relations with the international community and its neighbors in order to build a civil, independent and democratic state on the basis of UNSC Resolution 2254, Ahmed Toma, the head of the Syrian armed opposition delegation to the Astana talks, told Sputnik.

"We have no obstacles to cooperation if these relations are based on the principle of mutual respect. We seek normal relations with everyone, including Moscow," he said.

Ahmed also stressed that the Syrian opposition will focus on rebuilding civilian infrastructure in the coming period.

"Our main task in the coming period is to preserve state institutions, ensure security and solve the problems and crises that affect our people, who have no electricity, no water, no administrative services and severe food shortages," he added.

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💩 Italian government is 'A pile of SH*T'

Italian activists laid a red carpet with manure on it at Milan's La Scala theater, topping everything with photos of PM Meloni, Israeli PM Netanyahu, and ministers Salvini and Giulia.

They held signs reading "War is a sh*t show" and "Genocide is a sh*t show."

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Trump: Zelensky wants peace, 'That is new'

In an interview with the New York Post, Donald Trump revealed details about his conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky.

"He wants to make peace. That's new. He wants a ceasefire. We didn't talk about the details. He thinks it's time," the president-elect said.

Trump, Macron and Zelensky had a 35-minute conversation in Paris during the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame.

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❗️ Trump nominates Alina Habba as his counselor

Alina Habba, who previously served as Donald Trump's campaign and transition advisor, will become counselor to the president in the White House.

📹 This is Alina commenting on the pardon of Hunter Biden earlier this week.

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💥 Israel enters Syrian territory beyond the Golan Heights

Sputnik's exclusive footage shows Israeli tanks and bulldozers breaching a wall on the border of the Golan Heights region, entering Syrian soil beyond the Golan Heights for the first time in more than 50 years.

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Ukrainian military has no strategy for keeping the part of Kherson Region under its control — governor

The Ukrainian military has no strategic plan for holding the right bank part of the Kherson Oblast under its control in the long term, and there is no large-scale construction of fortifications there, Governor Vladimir Saldo told Sputnik.

"The Ukrainian actions in this direction are tactical rather than strategic. The enemy acts on the principle of short, episodic attacks aimed at achieving local goals. However, such actions create an illusion of activity without affecting the overall outcome of the conflict," Saldo said.

The governor stressed that the Ukrainian military may try to strengthen the right bank, but without a strategy their efforts are doomed to failure.

"A real victory is achieved not by individual successes, but by competent coordination of tactics and strategy. The Kiev regime lacks a basic strategy and is therefore doomed to defeat. In the long run, the same goes for the West," Saldo believes.

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🔥 TOS-1A strike obliterates Ukrainian positions in Kharkov Region

The Russian Ministry of Defense shared footage of a TOS-1A Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system, operated by the Sever Group of Forces, targeting and destroying Ukrainian shelters in the Kharkov region.

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Trump said Zelensky wants a ceasefire and a peace deal, adding that he is developing a plan to end the "ridiculous" conflict in Ukraine

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🇸🇾❓ What is known about the Syrian crisis so far?

🔘 The Syrian opposition hopes for positive relations with the international community and its neighbors in order to build a civil, independent, and democratic state on the basis of UNSC Resolution 2254, Ahmed Toma, head of Syria’s armed opposition delegation to the Astana talks, told Sputnik.

“We have no obstacles to cooperation if these relations are based on the principle of mutual respect. We seek normal relations with everyone, including Moscow,” he said.

🔘 US CENTCOM reported over 75 airstrikes against ISIS* in central Syria “to ensure that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation.”

🔘 The Syrian armed opposition has informed Washington via Turkiye that it will not allow ISIS* to join their actions against the overthrown Syrian government, the NY Times reported, citing unnamed US and Turkish officials.

🔘 The UN Security Council will convene Monday afternoon for an emergency closed-door meeting regarding Syria at Russia’s request.

How has the world reacted?

▪️ US: Joe Biden said that Washington “will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk.”

▪️ Iran: Tehran respects Syria’s unity and national sovereignty and calls for “the swift end of military conflicts, the prevention of terrorist actions, and the commencement of national dialogue” with all sectors of Syrian society, the Iranian Foreign Ministry noted.

▪️ Lebanon: Units “tasked with monitoring and controlling the northern and eastern borders [with neighboring Syria] have been reinforced, in conjunction with tightening surveillance measures,” per the country’s military.

▪️ Israel: Upon seizing a buffer zone in the Golan Heights, Israel “will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” PM Benjamin Netanyahu said.

▪️ UN: “The future of Syria is a matter for the Syrians to determine, and my Special Envoy will be working with them towards that end,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted.

*terrorist organization banned in Russia and other countries

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