23:00 Israeli warplanes have carried out more than 150 strikes against Syrian army and airforce bases across the country in the past 48 hours, destroying military infrastructure and tens of helicopters and jet fighters.
On Monday evening, two new explosions rocked the area near the headquarters of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre in central Damascus, witnesses in the neighbourhood told Reuters.
Another Israeli strike targeted an air defence installation near the Latakia Port on the Mediterranean, Syrian security sources said on Monday.
In tandem, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military would "destroy heavy strategic weapons throughout Syria, including surface-to-air missiles, air defence systems, surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, long-range rockets, and coastal missiles."
A senior Israeli official said airstrikes would persist in the coming days.
Smoke billows on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus following Israeli airstrikes. AFP
22:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel for almost 60 years, would remain Israeli "for eternity".
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu thanked US President-elect Donald Trump for recognizing Israel's 1981 annexation of the territory during his first term and said "the Golan will be part of the State of Israel for eternity".
Israel has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights after the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1981, Tel Aviv annexed the Golan Heights, in a move not recognized by the international community.
Netanyahu said that Israeli control of the high ground "ensures our security and sovereignty."
Over the weekend, he ordered troops to occupy a UN-patrolled buffer zone and beyond, after rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
The United Nations and Israel's neighbours denounced the move, with a UN spokesman on Monday saying Israel's actions were "a violation" of the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria.
Netanyahu said on Sunday that the collapse of the Assad government and the Syrian army abandoning its posts had "invalidated the agreement."
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had said earlier in the day that the takeover of the buffer zone was "a limited and temporary step we took for security reasons."
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller voiced understanding of Israel's actions which, he said, "are not permanent" and "ultimately, what we want to see is lasting stability between Israel and Syria, and that means we support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement."
21:30 The UN peacekeeping force deployed in the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, "informed the Israeli counterparts that their incursion into the zone constitutes a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
He said that the Israeli forces that entered the zone were still present in at least three locations.
Israeli troops "have entered the area of separation and have been moving within that area where they remain in at least three locations throughout the area of separation," Dujarric said.
"There should be no military forces or activities in the separation area. And Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement, and preserve stability in the Golan," he said.
21:00 The United States is determined to prevent the Islamic State group from reestablishing safe havens in Syria, as well as the fragmentation of the country, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
"ISIS will try to use this period to reestablish its capabilities, to create safe havens. As our precision strikes over the weekend demonstrate, we are determined not to let that happen," Blinken said at an event at the State Department.
"We have a clear interest in doing what we can to avoid the fragmentation of Syria, mass migrations from Syria and, of course, the export of terrorism and extremism," he said.
Blinken said that the United States also has a "clear interest in ensuring that whatever weapons of mass destruction or components are left in Syria do not fall into the wrong hands."
20:00 Syrian media reported that the armed factions who toppled President Bashar Al-Assad have decided to assign Mohammed Al-Bashir, the head of the Salvation Government in Idlib, to form a new Syrian government to manage the country's transitional phase.
This came after a meeting held between the head of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad Al-Jalali, and the head of the Salvation Government in Idlib, Mohammad Al-Bashir, to “determine the steps for transferring power and preventing chaos in Syria," according to media reports said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Mohammed Jalali told Al Arabiya TV he had agreed to hand over power to the opposition "Salvation Government".
An opposition representative told "Novosti" agency that the proposed steps include:
* Dissolving all paramilitary groups and unifying them under a single military command.
* Dissolving all opposition associations, the National Coalition, and the Negotiation Committee.
* Operating under a united government.
* Announcing the formation of a transitional authority.
19:30 Israel conducted strikes Monday targeting positions of the deposed Syrian government's army including in Damascus, the south and the coast, a war monitor said, the latest in a series of attacks since insurgents took over a day earlier.
"Israeli strikes targeted military sites, including weapons depots housing anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft weapons," Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor told AFP.
"Israel is deliberately destroying anything it perceives as a threat," he added.
19:00 Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali, asked by insurgents to remain in his post after President Bashar Al-Assad and most of his top officials vanished over the weekend, has sought to project normalcy.
“We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before.
He said the government is coordinating with the insurgents, and that he is ready to meet their leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa, aka Abu Mohammed al-Julani.
People shop at a market in Damascus. AFP
17:30 The US Biden administration has indicated it is looking to be pragmatic about the realities on the ground in Syria as it weighs whether to delist the Syrian insurgent group that toppled President Bashar Assad as a terror organization, two senior administration officials told AP.
One of the officials noted that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, is “saying the right things so far and they’re doing the right things so far.”
The official added; "It is just one of several groups that are looking to be part of the post-Assad transition in Syria."
Still, the official stressed that HTS will be an “important component” in what transpires in Syria and that the US needs to “engage with them, appropriately, and with US interests in mind.”
The second official said that the administration remains in a “wait and see” mode on whether to remove the HTS designation and has not set a timeline on whether to take action.
Earlier in the day, the British government announced it is considering whether to remove the HTS from the UK list of banned terrorist organizations.
The British government explained it keeps the list of banned organizations “under regular review.”
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said: “It should be a relatively swift decision.”
“It’s something that will have to be considered quite quickly, given the speed of the situation on the ground,” he said.
McFadden said that HTS leader Abu Mohammed Al-Julani “is saying some of the right things about protecting minorities and respecting people’s rights. So we’ll look at that in the days to come.”
16:45 Human Rights Watch called on Syria's factions, who seized Damascus a day earlier, to humanely treat former officials, loyalists and troops of President Bashar Al-Assad's defunct government.
"Armed opposition groups... should commit to ensuring the humane treatment of all individuals, including former government officials and soldiers, affiliated fighters, and loyalists," said Lama Fakih, HRW's Middle East director.
Syrians celebrate at Omayyad Square in Aleppo, Syria. AP
15:30 Hamas congratulated the Syrian people on toppling President Bashar Al-Assad and called for unity in the country.
"Hamas congratulates the brotherly Syrian people on their success in achieving their aspirations for freedom and justice, and we call on all components of the Syrian people to unite their ranks," the Palestinian group said in a statement.
People celebrate holding a large Syrian opposition flag at Umayyad Square in Damascus. AFP
15:15 NATO chief Mark Rutte said Russia and Iran were complicit in the crimes of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and his fall showed they were "unreliable partners".
"Russia and Iran were the main backers of the Assad regime, and they share the responsibility for the crimes committed against the Syrian people. They also proved to be unreliable partners, abandoning Assad when he ceased to be of use to them," Rutte said.
15:00 Syria's central bank said depositors' funds in the country's lenders were "safe" after rebels took the capital, and following chaotic scenes near some official institutions including the central bank.
"We assure our fellow citizens dealing with all operating banks that their deposits and funds at these banks are safe and have not been and will not be exposed to any harm," said a statement on the central bank's official Facebook page.
14:45 Germany said it would judge the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the offensive to oust President Bashar al-Assad by the actions it takes in government.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would "certainly play a role in the future of Syria", foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press conference.
The group had its roots in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda and is proscribed as a "terrorist" organisation by Western governments, including the European Union.
But HTS split with Al-Qaeda years ago and plotted a "different course", Fischer said.
"It has tried in recent months and years to distance itself from its jihadist origins and also to build up civil structures," he said.
How seriously this new direction could be taken would depend on how HTS "deals with civilians and, in particular, minorities in the area they now control", Fischer said.
"Ultimately, HTS must be judged by its actions," he said.
The HTS stronghold of Idlib, a province in northwestern Syria, was "no democratic paradise," Fischer said.
"People were also imprisoned for dissenting opinions and dissenting behaviour," he said of Idlib.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday the fall of Al-Assad's government was "good news" and called for law and order in Syria to be "quickly restored."
14:15 A Turkish drone strike in a Kurdish-held area in northern Syria killed 11 civilians including six children, a war monitor said.
The attack comes a day after rebels ousted President Bashar Al-Assad in a lightning offensive that saw them sweep swathes of territory from government control.
"Eleven civilians, including six children, all members of the same family, were killed in a Turkish drone strike targeting a house" near Ain Issa, north of the city of Raqa, in a Kurdish-held area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Turkish forces and their proxies have controlled territory in northern Syria since 2016 when they began targeting Kurdish fighters they linked to a group waging a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.
14:00 The European Union called for a peaceful political transition in war-torn Syria after the ouster of Bashar Al-Assad by rebels.
"Now more than ever, it is imperative that all stakeholders engage in an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned dialogue on all key issues to ensure an orderly, peaceful and inclusive transition," the 27-nation bloc stated.
The EU said it was "critical to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria and to respect its independence, its sovereignty, as well as state institutions, and to reject all forms of extremism."
"We urge all actors to avoid any further violence, to ensure the protection of civilians, and to uphold international law, including international humanitarian law," the statement said.
It called for the "protection of members of all minorities, including of Christian and other non-majority confessions, as well as the safety of foreign nationals and respect of diplomatic representations in Damascus".
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II about the situation on Monday and said she would talk to other regional leaders in the coming days.
A woman displays a printed Syrian opposition flag while standing atop a car as she celebrates at Umayyad Square in Damascus. AFP
13:20 Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali, who remained in his post after Assad and most of his top officials vanished over the weekend, has sought to project normalcy.
Syria's prime minister said that most Cabinet ministers are still working from offices in Damascus.
“We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before when joyful crowds gathered in public squares and celebratory gunfire rang out across the capital.
He said the government is coordinating with the insurgents, and that he is ready to meet rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al-Julani.
Insurgent fighters stand guard outside the Baath Party’s office in Damascus. AFP
12:30 Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said his country will work to return refugees to Syria.
Reuters quoted Fidan, speaking in Ankara, as saying: “In the coming period, we want a Syria where different ethnic and religious groups live in an inclusive understanding of governance and in peace. We want to see a new Syria that has ties with its neighbours, that adds peace and stability to its region. We will continue our work to ensure the safe and voluntary return of Syrians and for the country’s reconstruction.”
12:10 The Kremlin said it would discuss the status of Russia's two military bases in Syria with the country's new rulers.
Asked about the future of the bases, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "It is too early to say. This is a subject for discussion with whoever is going to be in power in Syria."
12:00 Any political transition in Syria following the fall of President Bashar Al-Assad must include accountability for those behind crimes committed under his rule, the UN rights chief said.
"Any political transition must ensure accountability for perpetrators of serious violations and guarantee that those responsible are held to account," Volker Turk told reporters, adding: "All measures must be taken to ensure the protection of all minorities, and to avert reprisals and acts of revenge."
Asked about whether Bashar Al-Assad was among those who should be brought to account, Turk stressed the need "for fair trials about all those where indeed there are serious grounds to believe that they have committed atrocity crimes".
"And that goes also for the... former president of Syria and whoever was in senior leadership positions."
Turk insisted it was "imperative that all evidence be collected and preserved meticulously for future use".
Turk said he would "strongly encourage" the new Syrian authorities to ratify the statute of the International Criminal Court, paving the way for perpetrators to be held to account there, stressing also the need to "build up a domestic legal system that allows for fair trials".
11:55 Turkish security officials said that “control of (the northern Syrian city) Manbij has been secured,” without providing further details.
The Turkish-backed forces, known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), launched an offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Manbij on 6 December, days after similarly expelling the SDF fighters from the city of Tal Rifaat.
Turkey views the SDF, which is primarily composed of a Syrian Kurdish militia group, as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and a terrorist organization. The force, however, has been a key partner of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State group.
11:40 Iran has opened a direct line of communication with members of Syria’s new leadership, a senior Iranian official has told Reuters, in an attempt to “prevent a hostile trajectory” between the countries.
“This engagement is key to stabilise ties and avoiding further regional tensions,” the news agency said an official told it.
11:20 A Syrian opposition war monitor says a top aide to the brother of Syria’s ousted president was found dead in his office near the capital, Damascus.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Maj. Gen. Ali Mahmoud, who was in charge of Maher Assad’s office, had led a 2018 military campaign in southern Syria.
A video that circulated on social media allegedly showed Mahmoud covered in blood while sitting on a chair. His clothes appear to have been set on fire.
It was not clear if he was killed by Maher Assad or he committed suicide, the observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said.
Maher Assad was in charge of the army’s 4th Armored Division which played a major role in Syria’s conflict since it began in March 2011.
10:50 Turkey's top diplomat called for an "inclusive" new government in Syria.
"We expect international actors, especially the United Nations, to reach out to the Syrian people and support the establishment of an inclusive administration," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a speech to ambassadors in the Turkish capital.
Syrian refugees, who were living in Lebanon, crossed the destroyed border between the two countries in Al-Arida. AFP
10:45 A group of men at the Syrian embassy in Moscow raised the opposition flag there on Monday morning, an AFP journalist saw.
Standing on the embassy balcony, the men clapped and sang as they raised the green, red, black and white Syrian opposition flag under falling snow.
"Today the embassy opened and is working normally under a new flag," an embassy representative told TASS state news agency.
Demonstrators react after raising a Syrian opposition flag at the Syrian embassy in Moscow. AFP
Russia was a key ally of Syria's ousted president, Bashar Al-Assad.
A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies on Sunday that Assad and his family were in Moscow, hours after he fled the country as Islamist-led rebels entered Damascus.
The source also said the rebels who ousted Assad in a lightning offensive "guaranteed the security of Russian army bases and diplomatic institutions on Syria's territory".
10:35 Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar described his country’s invasion of Syria as a “limited, temporary” step and said the airstrikes conducted by the Israeli army had been aimed at “strategic weapons systems.”
Earlier today, Israel’s military issued photographs of the Israeli army operating further inside Syrian territory, in the region of Jabal Al-Shaikh.
Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles line up the area outside the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the fence with the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. AFP
The Times of Israel reported that Saar said after Israel targeted sites inside Syria with airstrikes: “The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens … that’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets so that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.”
This picture taken from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights shows smoke billowing above the Syrian Governorate of Quneitra during Israeli bombardment. AFP
10:15 China's foreign ministry urged "all relevant parties" in Syria to "find a political resolution" after Islamist-led rebels seized control of Damascus and ended the rule of Bashar Al-Assad.
Beijing has strengthened ties with Syria in recent years, and Assad visited China last year in a rare state visit outside the Middle East since the civil war began in 2011.
When asked about his ouster, a spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry said Beijing was "closely watching developments in Syria."
"We hope all relevant parties will proceed based on the Syrian people's fundamental interests and find a political resolution as soon as possible to restore stability in the country," Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing.
Mao did not directly answer a question about whether China had been in contact with Assad, who had reportedly fled to Russia with his family.
10:00 Speaking on Sky News in the UK this morning, senior minister Pat McFadden has suggested that the country may consider changing the status of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the UK currently designates as a proscribed terror group.
Reuters reports he told viewers “We will consider that. And I think it will partly depend on what happens.”
In 2017, the British government determined that (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) was simply an alternative name for Al-Qaeda.
A picture shows the front pages of some of Britain's national newspapers, dominated by stories about the fall of Syria's President, in London. AFP
9:55 Israeli media reports that Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the Israeli army to strike at targets inside Syria, including “surface-to-air missiles, air defence systems, surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, long-range rockets, and coast-to-sea missiles.”
In a statement, the recently appointed minister said he had ordered the military to create a “security zone free of heavy strategic weapons and terror infrastructure.”
9:00 The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency session on Monday evening to discuss the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.
The meeting was requested by Russia, which is reported to have offered asylum to Assad and his family in Moscow.
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