Syria war monitor records more than 300 Israeli strikes since fall of Assad
Switzerland suspends Syria asylum proceedings after Assad’s fall
The Swiss government said it was suspending asylum procedures for Syrians until it can better
assess the situation in the Middle Eastern country following the capture of Damascus by rebels and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s flight to Russia.
The state secretariat for migration said on Monday evening it was currently unable to conduct a thorough check on whether grounds for asylum exist for Syrians or whether carrying out a deportation order for them would be reasonable.
“The secretariat is suspending asylum procedures and decisions for asylum seekers from Syria with immediate effect until the situation can be reassessed,” it said on X.
Switzerland’s decision follows those of other European governments to put asylum applications on hold for now.
Iran condemns ‘violation’ of law after Israeli incursion into Golan buffer zone
Iran has condemned Israel’s incursion into a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights on the border with Syria as a “violation” of the law.
“This aggression is a flagrant violation of the United Nations charter,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a statement published Monday night.
Syria’s White Helmets rescuers announce end to search at notorious prison
Syria’s White Helmets rescue group announced Tuesday the end of search operations at the notorious Sednaya prison without finding further detainees.
“The White Helmets announce the conclusion of search operations for possible remaining detainees in potential undiscovered secret cells and basements” at the facility, said a statement. “The search did not uncover any unopened or hidden areas within the facility.”
Journalists report loud explosions in Damascus
AFP journalists heard loud explosions in Damascus early Tuesday, hours after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported around 250 Israeli air strikes on Syrian territory since the fall of president Bashar al-Assad.
According to the Britain-based war monitor, Israel has been targeting key military installations across the country since Sunday, with the aim of destroying them.
‘Most important military sites in Syria’ destroyed by Israel, says war monitor
A war monitor said Tuesday that Israel had “destroyed the most important military sites in Syria” with around 250 air strikes since the fall of president Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The strikes targeted airports and warehouses, aircraft squadrons, radars, military signal stations, and multiple weapons and ammunition depots over the last 48 hours, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.
Syria rebels to announce ‘list’ of former officials wanted for torture, says leader
“We will offer rewards to anyone who provides information about senior army and security officers involved in war crimes,” rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, said in a statement on Telegram.
The rebel leader on Monday began discussions with the ousted government on transferring power, a day after his opposition alliance dramatically unseated president Bashar al-Assad following decades of brutal rule.
“We will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people,” Sharaa said in the Tuesday statement, adding they “will pursue war criminals and ask for their hand over from the countries to which they fled”.
“We have affirmed our commitment to tolerance for those whose hands are not stained with the blood of the Syrian people, and we have granted amnesty to those who were in compulsory service,” he said.
US mulling how to engage with Syrian rebel groups after Assad exit
The Biden administration is seeking ways to engage with Syrian rebel groups who ousted President Bashar al-Assad and is reaching out to partners in the region such as Turkey to help kick start informal diplomacy.
“We have been engaging in those conversations over the past few days. Secretary himself has been engaged in conversations with countries that have influence inside Syria, and we’ll continue to do that,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been working the phones and speaking with regional leaders and has twice over the past four days spoken with Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Turkey, Miller said.
When asked if the United States was looking to engage with HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani himself, Miller declined to say but he did not rule it out either: “We believe we have the ability to communicate one way or the other, directly or indirectly, with all the relevant parties,” Miller said.
Diplomats say UN Security Council ‘united’ on Syria
United Nations Security Council members will work on a statement on Syria in the coming days, US and Russian diplomats said on Monday, after a closed-door meeting over the rebel seizure of the capital Damascus and ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.
“The council, I think, was more or less united on the need to preserve the territorial integrity and unity of Syria, to ensure the protection of civilians, to ensure that humanitarian aid is coming to the needy population,” Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters after the 15-member body met.
Deputy U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood confirmed that most members spoke about those issues and told reporters the council would work on a statement. The United States is president of the council for December.
“This is an incredible moment for the Syrian people,” Wood said. “Now we’re really focused right now on trying to see where the situation goes. Can there be a governing authority in Syria that respects the rights and dignities of the Syrian population?”
Welcome to our liveblog, where we post the latest developments on the situation in Syria. To read all about yesterday’s key events, click here.
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