Two days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad from power during a dazzling offensive by a coalition of rebels, a Prime Minister responsible for the transition in Syria, Mohammed al-Bashir, was appointed. On Tuesday, he promised calm and stability to the Syrians.
Information to remember:
⇒ Syrian rebels seize the eastern town of Deir Ez-Zor
⇒ The Prime Minister in charge of the transition promises stability
⇒ 218 dead in fighting between pro-Ankara and pro-Kurdish forces in three days
Antony Blinken visits Turkey on Friday to discuss Syria
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Turkey on Friday to discuss the situation in Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, an official Turkish source said on Wednesday. “He will be in Türkiye on Friday,” the source said of the visit, which comes five days after the unexpected overthrow of the Syrian leader.
“The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria. All nations must commit to supporting an inclusive and transparent process and to refrain from external interference,” Antony Blinken said in a statement on Tuesday evening, adding that the United States “will fully recognize and support the future Syrian government resulting from this process.” He further indicated that “this transition process should lead to credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance.”
Antony Blinken detailed the priorities of the United States, namely that the future Syrian government “is clearly committed to fully respecting the rights of minorities, to facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to all those who need it, to prevent Syria from serving as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors.”
Pope calls on various religions to “mutual respect”
Pope Francis called on the various religions in Syria this Wednesday to “friendship and mutual respect”, following his general audience in Saint Peter’s Square. Speaking of “this delicate moment in its history”, he expressed the hope that “the Syrian people can live in peace and security in their beloved land and that the various religions can walk together in friendship and mutual respect.”
Syrian rebels seize the eastern town of Deir Ez-Zor
The Syrian rebels who took power in Damascus after ousting Bashar al-Assad announced on Tuesday that they had seized the town of Deir Ez-Zor in the east of the country, an NGO claiming that the Kurdish forces present in the town had withdrawn.
“Our forces have captured the entire city of Deir Ez-Zor,” the rebels said in a statement. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) indicated that Kurdish forces had withdrawn towards surrounding towns, before the takeover by local Arab fighters who joined the ranks of the rebels after their lightning offensive launched on November 27.
The Prime Minister in charge of the transition promises stability
Newly appointed Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir promised calm and stability to the Syrians. “It is time for these people to enjoy stability and calm […] and to know that his government is there to provide him with the services he needs,” he declared in an interview with the Al-Jazeera channel. He chaired a meeting bringing together the new ministers and those of the deposed power. “The mission of the interim government is to preserve the stability of institutions and avoid the disintegration of the state,” he said.
Along the same lines, Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, the leader of the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTC) at the head of the rebel coalition, told Sky News from Damascus that “people are exhausted by the war “The country is not ready for another, and will not find itself in another (war).”
218 dead in fighting between pro-Ankara and pro-Kurdish forces in three days
Fighting between pro-Ankara and pro-Kurdish forces has left 218 dead in three days in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) said on Tuesday. According to the NGO, “218 members of the pro-Kurdish forces and pro-Ankara factions were killed during three days of fighting in Manbij and its surroundings”, where the factions supported by Turkey launched an offensive, the favor of which “they were able to enter Manbij and deploy in its region”. The OSDH added that fighting continued in the Raqqa region.
A hundred French people involved in the Syrian rebellion
Around a hundred French people are involved in radical Islamist groups who overthrew Bashar al-Assad in Syria and have been living in the Idlib pocket for years. In France, some have already been sentenced for “terrorist acts”, explained Tuesday to the daily Le Figaro anti-terrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen. Around thirty are affiliated with the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Cham (HTC), spearheading the rebel offensive with the help of other more or less radical movements.
Around fifty French people also belong to the brigade of Franco-Senegalese Oumar Diaby, alias Omar Omsen, suspected of having convinced many French people to join Syria. Arrested by HTC in August 2020, he was released in February 2022 without the reasons for his arrest being communicated. France still has no news of around 300 nationals in Syria, out of 1,500 who left to wage their jihad.