Regional powers congratulate Syrian opposition on ousting Assad
Other countries in the region have offered their congratulations to the Syrian opposition for ousting Assad and expressed hope for a new, independent Syria.
Saudi Arabia welcoming the change a statement through its Foreign Affairs Ministry, describing it as "positive steps" to ensure the safety of the Syrian people. It said it was time for Syrians to "enjoy the dignified life they deserve."
"As the Kingdom affirms its support for the brotherly Syrian people and their choices at this critical stage in Syria’s history, it calls for concerted efforts to preserve the unity of Syria and the cohesion of its people, in a way that protects it — God willing — from slipping into chaos and division," the statement said.
The Taliban in Afghanistan released a similar statement, saying it hoped the new government would allow Syria to "move forward free from external interference." It added that it hoped to see an "independent & service-oriented Islamic government" form in Syria, one that would bring national unity and reconciliation.
Jordan Foreign Affairs minister Ayman Safadi told the country's public service channel that Syrians will be the ones to decide their future. He added that Jordan wants Syria to succeed in a political reconciliation after Assad resigned for the sake of peace and stability.
How the U.S. will approach involvement in Syria after rebel takeover
Biden outlined a plan for continued U.S. involvement in Syria today.
Biden expresses optimism for getting journalist Austin Tice out of Syria
Biden said in his speech that he was hopeful the U.S. would be able to bring journalist Austin Tice back home.
"We are mindful that there are Americans in Syria, including those who reside there, as well as Austin Tice, who was taken captive more than 12 years ago," Biden said. "We remain committed to returning him to his family."
Asked immediately after his remarks to elaborate on his plan to bring Tice home, Biden told reporters, "We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet."
Tice was reporting on Syria's conflict when he was abducted 12 years ago. Throughout his administration, Biden has met with Tice's family and advocated for his release.
Biden lauds regime change in Syria but warns of uncertainty
Biden lauded the fall of the Assad regime in a speech from the White House.
“At long last, the Assad regime has fallen,” Biden said near the beginning of his speech.
He added, “It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country,” but he warned, “It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty as we all turn to the question of what comes next.”
Biden outlined continued U.S. involvement in Syria, saying, “We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime, toward independent, sovereign and independent … Syria with a new constitution, new government that serves all Syrians.”
“This process will be determined by the Syrian people themselves. The United States will do whatever we can to support them, including through humanitarian relief to help restore Syria,” he added.
Biden linked the fall of Assad’s regime with a weakened Russia, saying Ukrainian forces have weakened Russia and “left Russia unable to protect its main ally in the Middle East.”
He also spoke about Assad’s whereabouts, saying, “We’re not sure where he is, but there’s word that he’s in Moscow.”
Reconciliation and reconstruction must be prioritized, Syrian Christian opposition leader says
A free, independent Syria will take time to build but one thing is certain to Hind Kabawat: Reconciliation between the different factions within Syria is key.
Kabawat is a member of Syria’s large Orthodox Christian community, as well as a member of the Syrian opposition forces. There have been so many Syrians who have lived in pain since the civil war began in 2011, and Kabawat told NBC News that there must be a national dialogue about how everyone has suffered in order to move forward.
“We cannot punish everybody, because if you want to punish everybody that is half of the country,” she said.
She placed blame on the former president, for example, for ostracizing Alawites among fellow Syrians. The Assad family are Alawites, a religious sect of Islam, and many Alawites served in his government.
Alawites are “very scared” because of how Assad has made them hated, Kabawat said. She insisted that they must be part of the Syrian society if the country wants to avoid repeating the conflict.
“We want to have people from the Alawite community, the Christian community, we want have everybody at the table,” Kabawat said. “We need to think about having women, not to exclude them.”
Although the leader of the rebel coalition said elections to vote for a new Syrian government would take place in 18 months, Kabawat said she believes it might realistically take two years. Much of the road map to those elections has been set out in a United Nations resolution from 2012, which presented a political peace process for Syria.
Bringing home refugees who fled the war-torn country must also be high on the priority list, and to do that they must also think about where those people will go, Kabawat noted.
“I know there is an E.U. decision that there can be no reconstruction without political transition, but, excuse me, we need to build those homes for the Syrian refugees to go back home,” Kabawat said. “We don’t want to be a refugee community. We want to be proud in our country.”
Photos: Syrian rebel leader speaks at mosque in Damascus
The leader of Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, addresses a crowd at the capital’s landmark Umayyad Mosque today.
Syria is 'cleansed' from Assad's destruction, HTS militant leader says
Syria has opened a new beginning after the "victory" over Assad's brutal regime, HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani told crowds from the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus today.
"There’s no house in Syria which wasn’t hit by the fire of war," al-Jolani said. "And thanks to Allah, today you will be spared, God willing."
Al-Jolani described the victory as having many obstacles and blamed the waste and destruction on Assad. He accused Assad of abandoning Syria to "Iranian greed" and pushing sectarian divides in the country.
But Syria is now "cleansed," he told the crowd.
"To all nations, if they lost their rights, they must keep on asking for it until they get them," al-Jolani said.
Assad requesting asylum in Moscow, Russian media reports
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has landed in Moscow after fleeing from opposition rebels who closed in on Damascus today, according to Russia 24.
The state-owned TV channel cited anonymous sources in its report, adding that Assad has requested asylum in Russia. Two other Russian news outlets, TASS and Interfax, also reported that Assad arrived in Moscow with his family, citing Kremlin sources.
TASS and RIA Novosti, another Russian state news agency, reported that Assad’s request for asylum was granted for “humanitarian reasons.”
POTUS to deliver remarks on Syria
President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks about the developments in Syria at 1 p.m. ET.
Diplomat for Syrian opposition lays out potential transition plan
Hadi al-Bahra, president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, spoke to NBC News in Doha, Qatar, in the wake of the Syrian opposition forces’ stunning capture of Damascus to discuss a potential future path for the transfer of power in Syria.
“We want a united Syria, we don’t want it to be divided,” al-Bahra said. His group does not have a formal relationship with HTS, the rebel group that led the capture of Damascus and other key Syrian cities, though he says they are in contact.
The opposition forces plan to form a transitional civilian government that, according to al-Bahra, would not include members of the HTS. It would lead the country until free elections can be held, providing a provisional timeline of 18 months.
He also said that their goal is to have all foreign militaries — including the U.S., Russia, Iran and Turkey — withdraw from Syria in the same 18-month transition period. Foreign ISIS fighters should be deported, and according to al-Bahra, they plan to establish a special commission to investigate the forcibly disappeared prisoners, including kidnapped American journalist Austin Tice.
“The U.N. has approximately 1 million files for crimes committed in Syria, war crimes,” al-Bahra said. “We will either establish as national court or it will be part of the ICC.”