Live: Syrian refugees attempt return to homeland after Assad regime ousted

Live

Middle East

Issued on: 11/12/2024 – 06:42Modified: 11/12/2024 – 06:58

1 min

A Syrian holds his cat as he waits with others to cross into Syria from Turkey at the Cilvegozu border gate, near the town of Antakya, southern Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. © Metin Yoksu, AP

As the Syrian rebels who toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime piece together their vision for the newly-liberated country, Syrians who had been forced to flee to refugee camps or neighboring countries started to make their way back to their home country. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.

11/12/2024 – 06:58

New Syria PM calls for ‘stability and calm’

Syria’s new transitional prime minister on Tuesday said it was time for “stability and calm” in the country, two days after longtime president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive.

The rebels appointed Mohammad al-Bashir as the transitional head of government to run the country until March 1, a statement said.

“Now it is time for this people to enjoy stability and calm,” Bashir told Qatar’s Al Jazeera television in his first interview since being appointed.

Assad fled Syria as an Islamist-led opposition alliance swept into the capital Damascus over the weekend, bringing to an end five decades of brutal rule by his clan. A senior official told US broadcaster NBC that the ousted Syrian leader was now in Moscow.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the Islamist leader who headed the rebel offensive, had previously announced talks on a transfer of power and vowed to pursue former senior officials responsible for torture and war crimes.

11/12/2024 – 05:44

US-backed SDF, Turkey-backed rebels reach ceasefire in Manbij

The US-backed Kurdish Syrian forces (SDF) and Syria’s Turkey-backed rebels reached a ceasefire agreement in the northern city of Manbij through a US mediation “to ensure the safety and security of civilians,” SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said early on Wednesday.

“The fighters of the Manbij Military Council, who have been resisting the attacks since November 27, will withdraw from the area as soon as possible,” Abdi added.

11/12/2024 – 05:39

Syrian civil war refugees begin journey home as temporary PM appointed

Refugees from Syria’s long civil war were making their way home on Wednesday, as a new interim prime minister said he had been appointed with the backing of the rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad.

11/12/2024 – 05:34

Welcome to our liveblog, where we post the latest news on the situation unfolding in Syria. To read all about yesterday’s key developments, click here.

Fighting between Turkish-backed and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria has left 218 people dead in just three days, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported on Tuesday.
Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani vowed the country would not face another war, telling Sky News on Tuesday that its citizens were already “exhausted” by years of conflict.
A senior Russian official told US broadcaster NBC on Tuesday that deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is being hosted in Russia, in the government’s first confirmation of the situation.
US troops are staying in Syria because they have an important mission to complete there, US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said in an interview at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York on Tuesday.
The Lebanese army said on Tuesday it had fired warning shots after gunmen crossed the border from Syria, approached an army border post and fired shots in the air.