As Damascus teetered, Assad's aide orchestrated a shadowy airlift, spiriting millions and secrets to Russia, paving his own escape route.
Scenes from Syria after Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus on Sunday, December 8 2024, ending nearly 50 years of his family's tyranny.
Hayat al-Turki, 27, along with many others, searches Sednaya prison, known as a slaughterhouse under Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime, in the hope of finding their missing relatives.
'Using only the light on their mobile phones, wailing men and women examined disfigured bodies lying in a darkened hospital morgue in Syria's capital for signs of their relatives who had disappeared into Bashar al-Assad's notorious prison system.' Reuters reported.
The situation in Syria remains a focal point for all the neighbouring nations after Syrian rebels on Sunday entered the capital Damascus, forcing Assad to flee, ending his over two-decade rule in the country.
Members of the White Helmets, the Syrian civil defence group, search for prisoners who have been jailed for years at the Sednaya prison in Syria after rebels seized Damascus and announced that Bashar al-Assad, the tyrant, had fled the country.
Different bones were found in Damascus' Tadamon district, an area strewn with remains that residents and human rights groups attribute to years of killings under Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The head of Syria's main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now "without Bashar al-Assad" according to Reuters.
Rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani addressed Syrians at the Ummayad mosque in Damascus after Bashar al-Assad resigned as president and fled Syria, December 8, 2024.
The fall of the Assad regime that brutalised, tortured and killed thousands of innocent Syrians over the past half a century is a historic opportunity for the people of the country, outgoing United States President Joe Biden said on Sunday.
More than 1,000 people died in two days of clashes between Syrian security forces and allied forces and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad, DW reported a war monitoring group as stating.
The ceasefire follows Israeli airstrikes on Syria on Wednesday, which Israel said were carried out to protect the Druze, a minority Arab religious group.
The Iraqi Prime Minister said that personnel of the country's national intelligence service, working with coalition forces commanded by the United States, had killed the head of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The sources further stated that all the Indian nationals there are safe and the embassy remains available to assist them in the crisis-hit nation.
The vote was 52-48 mostly along party lines, though Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined Democrats in opposing the confirmation, as per CNN.
India evacuated 75 of its nationals from Syria two days after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar Assad's authoritarian government.
In the first acknowledgement of Israel's involvement in the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday, issued a stern warning to the Houthi rebels from Yemen of destroying their infrastructure and 'decapitating' its leaders.
More than 2,80,000 people have been uprooted in northwest Syria following the sudden and massive offensive into government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the Security Council as a terrorist group, the United Nations said on Friday.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on people of Syria to seize a 'historic opportunity' for a stable and peaceful future, following the sudden fall of the 'dictatorial regime' of president Bashar al-Assad.
'Friendship between our countries is higher than the highest mountain and deeper than the deepest ocean,' the defence minister told the Russian president.
... and there is no stopping its pan-Islamic agenda, cautions Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Iran's ambassador to India, Iraj Ilahi, expressed concern about the stability and security of the "whole region" following the collapse of the Syrian government, highlighting Tehran's worries about the potential wider ramifications of the situation. Ilahi also emphasized the importance of promoting tourism between India and Iran, citing their shared cultural heritage and the recent easing of visa restrictions.
After taking control of the buffer zone along the Israeli-Syrian border, the Israel Defence Forces released photos from the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, a strategic peak in the Golan Heights on Monday morning.
'Decline of the UN did not start with the Trump administration. It has been happening over the last two decades or more.'
India has successfully evacuated all of its citizens who wished to return home from Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad's government by rebel forces. The evacuation process, which began on Tuesday, saw 77 Indian nationals brought back to safety. The Indian Embassy in Syria continues to function and is monitoring the situation closely, advocating for a peaceful and inclusive political solution.
A batch of Indian nationals, who returned to their homeland on Saturday after being evacuated from crisis-hit Syria, recalled the panic situation they faced in that country but praised the Indian Embassy there for being in 'constant touch' with them.
"We need to move quickly to look at what Syria can and should be in a post-Assad world, work with our partners, work with the opposition to help create that transition, because Assad's days are surely numbered," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup match played between West Indies and Papua New Guinea, in Georgetown, Guyana, on Sunday.
Facing popular revolt, the authoritarian Assad regime of Syria has launched Scud missiles against the rebel-held target areas in the northern parts of the country, according to a media report.
Veteran opening batter Paul Stirling was on Wednesday named Ireland skipper in their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA.
In his first interview since US President Obama sought congressional approval for military action in Syria, President Bashar Assad warned that US and its allies should "expect every action" in retaliation.
'There seem to be no reason why Assad should have launched such an attack when he was gaining acceptability,' says Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has asked Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to demonstrate his willingness to peace by pulling back troops from populated areas and accept a UN-brokered peace plan.
United States President Barack Obama has accused his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad's government of "unspeakable assault" on civilians and asked him to step down to allow a democratic transition immediately.
The president said Syria did not know if it was an Israeli trap and refused the offer.
Embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has rejected suggestions of stepping down, while offering conditional talks with the opposition even as he accused Britain of planning to arm "terrorists" in the war-torn country.
US central command said that several US personnel are undergoing evaluation for "traumatic brain injuries" and at least one Iraqi service member was wounded in the attack.
Pooran, Powell make fifties as WI hammer nine-man Australia by 35 runs
West Indies cricketing legend Malcolm Marshall's final resting place in Barbados is a sorry sight, sparking concerns about his legacy.
Russia and China on Saturday vetoed an Arab League-backed resolution at the United Nations Security Council that called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down. India, along with the United States and 12 other nations, backed the move. France, Britain and Pakistan also voted in favour of the resolution, which is aimed at putting pressure on Syria to end its 11-month-long crackdown on anti-government protests that has killed more than 200 people.
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