Main thread for the recent Syrian opposition offensives
Al-Jazeera
FOX News
Reuters
BBC Live Thread
Al-Jazeera:
“We turn the page on the dark past and open a new horizon for the future,” the rebels said in a statement.
Opposition leaders, including HTS chief al-Julani, have stressed in recent weeks that they aim to build a state for all Syrians in an effort to dispel concerns about sectarianism and the group’s previous ties to al-Qaeda.
“I urge all to think rationally and to think about they country,” al-Jalali said. “We extend our hand to the opposition who have extended their hand and asserted that they will not harm anyone who belongs to this country.”
He also called on citizens to protect public property.
The Middle East has seen chaos with the fall of governments in the past. When invading American forces toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003, state agencies and public sites were looted as anarchy prevailed.
Videos posted online, verified by Al Jazeera, show several people in the Ummayad Square, standing on an abandoned military tank and singing in celebration.
#Syria: regime soldiers have abandoned the Umayyad Square in the center of #Damascus. Residents are taking over the streets. (xitter link)
FOX News notes:
Trump urges US to stay out of Syrian civil war, blaming Obama for failure as Islamists close in on capital
Al-Jazeera
FOX News
Reuters
BBC Live Thread
Al-Jazeera:
Opposition declares Damascus ‘free of tyrant al-Assad’
- Syria’s armed opposition says they have captured the capital, Damascus, and that President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country.
- The announcement comes after rebels seized the city of Homs in a lightning offensive hours earlier.
- The commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, says the government’s collapse is near and promises to protect people in areas the group controls.
- Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Russia issue a joint statement saying the crisis is a “dangerous development” and calling for a political solution.
Syrian opposition suggests it will not seek revenge
The armed opposition says the “new Syria” will be a place of “peaceful coexistence”, where justice would prevail and all Syrians’ dignity would be preserved.“We turn the page on the dark past and open a new horizon for the future,” the rebels said in a statement.
Opposition leaders, including HTS chief al-Julani, have stressed in recent weeks that they aim to build a state for all Syrians in an effort to dispel concerns about sectarianism and the group’s previous ties to al-Qaeda.
Syrian PM says he remains in his home in Damascus
Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali says he does not plan on leaving his home as he aims to ensure that public institutions continue to function.“I urge all to think rationally and to think about they country,” al-Jalali said. “We extend our hand to the opposition who have extended their hand and asserted that they will not harm anyone who belongs to this country.”
He also called on citizens to protect public property.
The Middle East has seen chaos with the fall of governments in the past. When invading American forces toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003, state agencies and public sites were looted as anarchy prevailed.
Celebrations in Damascus
The Reuters news agency, citing witnesses, is reporting that thousands of people in cars and on foot are congregating in central Damascus, chanting, “Freedom!”Videos posted online, verified by Al Jazeera, show several people in the Ummayad Square, standing on an abandoned military tank and singing in celebration.
#Syria: regime soldiers have abandoned the Umayyad Square in the center of #Damascus. Residents are taking over the streets. (xitter link)
FOX News notes:
Trump urges US to stay out of Syrian civil war, blaming Obama for failure as Islamists close in on capital
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