Russia convenes emergency United Nations Security Council session
The United Nations Security Council is expected to meet today after Russia called for an emergency session over the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said in a post on a Telegram that the meeting would be held behind closed doors this afternoon in New York.
Defense Secretary Austin expresses surprise at ‘rapid collapse’ of Assad’s regime in Syria
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “Most everyone in the international community was surprised with the rapid collapse of Bashar Assad’s rule over Syria, as well as how quickly rebel forces seized control of the country.”
Syrians around the world eager to reunite with their loved ones
Syrians at home and abroad are rejoicing after the toppling of Assad's brutal regime, with many forced to flee as refugees anxious to return to their homeland and be reunited with their loved ones.
“As soon as they open the airport, I will be there and I will kiss the soil of Syria,” Salem Alaya, who fled from Syria to Britain as a refugee in 2014, said in a phone interview this morning.
Alaya, 38, said he was eager to be reunited with his mother after so many years apart — but, for his father, who died in 2016, just two years after he left, he said, this moment in history comes too late.
"He passed away and I could not attend his funeral," he said, adding: "My wish is just to say goodbye to my grandmother before she passes away ... I could not say that to my dad."
Still, Alaya, a father of three and now a British citizen, has built a life with his family in London, where he is in the process of starting a business as a chartered accountant. His life is here now, he said, reflecting a reality shared by many refugees and asylum seekers around the world.
But he is anxious to be able to return to Syria, where he says a number of his loved ones and friends have been held for years as political prisoners, with no word on their whereabouts or conditions for just as long.
“Maybe they died. Maybe they disappeared. Maybe they have been killed inside the prison,” he said. “I hope that we can hear about them.”
Beijing 'closely monitoring' developments in Syria
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said today China was "closely monitoring developments in the Syrian situation.”
"We hope all relevant parties will prioritize the fundamental interests of the Syrian people and find a political solution to restore stability in Syria as soon as possible," she said at a regular news briefing.
China had earlier said its embassy in Syria was still operational and providing assistance to its nationals trying to leave the country.
Trump on Tulsi Gabbard’s secret meetings with Assad: ‘People meet’
President-elect Donald Trump defended two secret meetings that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence, had with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator who fled the country yesterday as rebels captured the capital, Damascus.
Asked whether he had concerns about those meetings, which took place in 2017, Trump said no, citing his meetings as president with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, although those meetings were public.
“But look, people meet. All these people meet. I mean, I see some of the most dishonest people,” Trump said yesterday in an interview with Kristen Welker, moderator of NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Lawmakers, intelligence officials, rights activists and others have expressed deep misgivings about Gabbard, who has been accused of echoing propaganda spread by Russia and the Assad regime, being nominated as the country’s highest-ranking intelligence official.
Last week, almost 100 former diplomats, national security officials and intelligence officials wrote a letter urging Senate leaders to “carefully evaluate” whether Gabbard is “equipped” for the position, which requires Senate confirmation. A spokesperson for Gabbard dismissed the criticism as unfounded.
Syrian rebels ride military hardware through Damascus
A military tank abandoned by the Syrian army is driven through Damascus’ Zablatani district today, after rebel forces took control of the capital.
Kremlin signals Putin approved Assad asylum, says Russia was 'surprised' by rebel success
The Kremlin, without explicitly confirming that Assad was granted asylum by Moscow, said today that such a move would have to be approved by Vladimir Putin personally.
“Such decisions cannot be made without the head of state, and it is his decision,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked if the Russian president had granted Assad asylum.
The fall of Assad’s regime has also thrown into question Russia’s long-time presence in the country. "What happened surprised the whole world and we are no exception here," Peskov said.
As the Kremlin finds itself down a key ally, Peskov said Russia will discuss its presence in Syria with those who eventually assume power.
When asked if Russia would continue its military presence at its naval base in Tartus and aerial base in Khmeimim, Peskov said, “We are now seeing a period of transformation, extreme instability.”
“It will take time, and then a serious conversation will be required with those who will be in power,” he said.
Syria’s White Helmets say no sign yet of hidden underground cells in notorious prison
Civil defense workers from Syria's White Helmets have said that they have not yet found any secret cells in Assad's notorious Saydnaya prison, as they search the site amid fears detainees may be held underground.
The White Helmets are a volunteer relief group formally known as Syrian Civil Defense that operates in Syria and Turkey. They say they are working with people familiar with the prison, and residents who claim to know the locations of hidden entrances and basements.
Despite this, currently “there is no evidence confirming the presence of detainees in the basements or cellars of the prison,” the group said this morning.
They add that they will continue the thoroughly search all areas using “searching tools, sound sensors” and “trained dogs” to assist in the search.
Iran says it was fully aware of rebel movement; blames Syrian army for Assad's ousting
Iran's intelligence services were fully aware about the rebels and their information had been shared with the Assad's government, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Iran's state news agency IRNA last night.
"If the Syrian army had resisted, even Aleppo would not have fallen," he said.
"What was surprising was the inability of the Syrian army to confront the movement of the armed groups, and the second was the speed of the movements," he added.
Meanwhile a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran has established a direct line of communication with rebels within Syria’s new leadership in an effort to “prevent a hostile trajectory” between the two countries.
“This engagement is key to stabilize ties and avoiding further regional tensions,” the senior official said.
Syrian embassy in Moscow flies opposition's green flag
The Syrian embassy in Moscow is flying the flag of the opposition today after lowering its existing flag following the sweeping takeover by rebel forces, according to the Russian state news agency TASS and photos on news agencies.
The opposition's green-white-black tricolor flag replaced Assad regime's red-white-black tricolor.