DAMASCUS (AP) — Ousted Syrian chief Bashar Assad mentioned Monday he needed to remain within the nation after rebels captured the capital, however the Russian army evacuated him from their base in western Syria after it got here below assault.
They had been Assad’s first public feedback since he was overthrown by rebel teams simply over every week in the past following a swift offensive that has shaken up the nation’s alliances and led to celebrations in a nation lengthy stifled by civil struggle.
In the meantime, a spokesman for the brand new transitional authorities informed The Related Press that the brand new Syria shall be inclusive and open to the world.
Assad mentioned on Fb that he left Damascus on the morning of Dec. 8, hours after insurgents stormed the capital. He mentioned he left in coordination with Russian allies to their Hmeimim air base within the coastal province of Latakia, the place he had deliberate to maintain combating.
However after the Russian base got here below assault by drones, he mentioned, the Russians determined to maneuver him that night time to Russia.
“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge nor was such proposal made by any individual or party,” Assad mentioned within the English textual content of his assertion. “The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.”
Burak Kara by way of Getty Photographs
In Damascus, residents dismissed Assad’s feedback and a few mentioned he had deserted Syria’s folks way back.
“Is he going to run away from us? He still won’t be able to run away from God,” mentioned one resident, Moataz al-Ahmed, as youngsters stepped on a fallen statue of Assad’s father, Hafez, who had begun the household’s half-century rule.
The spokesman for the transitional authorities’s political division mentioned in an interview Monday that “the Assad regime is finished with no return” and Russia “should reconsider its presence on Syrian territory as well as its interests.”
The spokesman, Obeida Arnaout, informed the AP that Syria has entered a brand new section that shall be open to the world, and the brand new authorities is seeking to construct good relations with its neighbors and past.
He additionally referred to as on the U.S. and different international locations to rethink the designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — the primary insurgent group and a former al-Qaida affiliate — as a terrorist group, calling it “not right and not accurate” designation.
Already, the U.S. has mentioned its officers have been in direct contact with the group.
Syria is house to a number of ethnic and non secular communities, typically pitted towards one another by Assad’s state and years of struggle. A lot of them concern the likelihood that Sunni Islamist extremists will take over.
Omar Sanadiki by way of Related Press
The brand new management additionally has been in touch with the U.S. to return American citizen Travis Timmerman, who was among the many prisoners launched from authorities detention facilities when Assad fell, Arnaout mentioned.
“There are political contacts at the highest levels in a way that benefits the Syrian people and that strengthen the current administration,” he mentioned.
Requested whether or not the brand new authorities’s safety forces would cooperate with the U.S. to fight remaining militants with the Islamic State group, Arnaout mentioned Syrian factions have ousted and rejected IS and the group not has a major presence within the nation.
U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria have been the primary U.S. ally in combating IS and oversee detention facilities housing IS militants. Nonetheless, the way forward for the Kurds and the semi-autonomous area they management is unclear within the nation’s new post-Assad order. Clashes over territory have taken place in some areas between Kurdish forces and the armed teams that overthrew Assad.
Arnaout mentioned the Kurds are a part of the Syrian folks and their rights shall be protected. Nonetheless, he mentioned the brand new authorities is not going to settle for that any a part of Syria be outdoors of Damascus’ management.
SANA by way of Related Press
“Kurds are one of the components of the Syrian people and we are very keen that this group has its rights protected,” he mentioned. “The social fabric in Syria is a source of strength and not weakness. But we affirm that we don’t any part of Syria to be separated.”
The U.N. envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, mentioned Monday he met with HTS chief Ahmed al-Sharaa and was briefed on the challenges and priorities of the Syrian folks going ahead. Pederson has referred to as for the lifting of worldwide sanctions on Syria to permit for sooner rebuilding.
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In the meantime, a U.Ok.-based struggle monitor mentioned Israeli airstrikes early Monday hit missile warehouses on the Syrian coast and referred to as it the “most violent strikes” in that a part of Syria since 2012.
Israel has been pounding with lots of of airstrikes what it says are army websites in Syria after the dramatic collapse of Assad’s rule, wiping out air defenses and many of the arsenal of the previous Syrian military.
Israeli troops have additionally seized a border buffer zone, sparking condemnation, with critics accusing Israel of violating the 1974 ceasefire and probably exploiting the chaos in Syria for a land seize.
