Solitudinem fecerunt,
pacem appelunt
Publius Gaius Cornelius Tacitus
Op Deterrence of Aggression - 08 December 2024
The “Deterrence of Aggression” [AR = Rada al-Adwan, also seen as "Deterring Aggression" and "Aggression Shield" ] battle was launched by the Syrian opposition factions against the Syrian regime forces and the militias supporting it to direct a "preemptive strike against the Syrian regime forces".
The fast-moving situation caused astonishment around the world, with regional countries and major powers alike were seemingly unprepared for the abrupt change in Syria. Over the past few days, the situation in Syria has undergone rapid and dramatic changes. Opposition forces in Syria took over state television channels to announce what they described as the fall of Damascus and the end of Assad's government. A man in military fatigues, flanked by armed fighters, read the statement on air, calling it "Statement No. 1." He claimed that rebel units had captured Damascus.
Russian state media reported that ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow and has been granted asylum, after the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that he stepped down and left the country. Al-Assad’s flight from Damascus came less than two weeks after armed opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched an offensive challenging more than five decades of domination by the al-Assad family. Al-Assad had ruled Syria since 2000, when he inherited power from his father. The Syrian war started as a peaceful unarmed uprising against al-Assad in March 2011, but morphed into a full-blown war that dragged in foreign powers, killed hundreds of thousands of people and turned millions into refugees.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Al-Jalali said the government was ready to "extend its hand" to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government. Jalali told a Saudi-owned news channel in a phone interview that he last spoke with Assad the previosu day, but had not been able to reach him since. The opposition forces that entered Damascus have said they will work with Jalali.
Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of the HTS rebel group, has prohibited his forces from approaching public institutions, stating that they will remain under the supervision of the country's prime minister until they are officially handed over, according to a statement published on the group's social media outlets.
Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, expressed “cautious hope” after opposition fighters declared the rule of President Bashar al-Assad had come to an end. Opposition forces on 08 December 2024 said they had “liberated” the capital, Damascus, in a fast-moving offensive that saw them seize control of several cities.
Pedersen described the long-running war in Syria as a “dark chapter” that “has left deep scars”, adding: “Today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new one – one of peace, reconciliation, dignity and inclusion for all Syrians.” “Today marks a watershed moment in Syria’s history – a nation that has endured nearly 14 years of relentless suffering and unspeakable loss,” he said, extending his “deepest solidarity to all who have borne the weight of death, destruction, detention and untold human rights violations”.
Pedersen said he had called for arrangements to be made to ensure an inclusive transition in Syria and the United Nations' role in this process. The participants of the meeting backed the initiative, Pedersen added. The envoy called on the Syrians to avoid bloodshed, get ready for the transition period and guarantee respect for the rights of religious minorities. Pedersen also suggested that the leaders of armed groups that overran Damascus on Sunday might be removed from the list of terrorists if they followed a specific procedure for delisting.
Iran knew about US and Israeli plans related to the activation of armed opposition groups in Syria, all intelligence data was passed on to the Syrian government, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a special interview on Iranian state television. "Everything was clear. Both analytics and news reports indicated in advance that such a movement would emerge. Both from an analytical and intelligence perspective, we knew that there was a behind-the-scenes plan on the part of the US and the Israeli regime that would create problems for the 'axis of resistance,'" Araghchi said. "From the perspective of [what was happening] 'on the sidelines' and intelligence, the intelligence services in our country and in Syria were fully aware of the movements in Idlib. And all information was passed on to the Syrian government and the Syrian army," the minister added.
"Since the initial hours after the announcement of the fall of the former regime, Israel began launching intensive air strikes, deliberately destroying weapons and ammunitions depots,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The targets of the overnight strikes included “air defence weapons depots and ammunition depots” belonging to the Syrian military in the coastal Latakia and Tartous provinces.
The Britain-based monitor, which has a network of sources inside Syria, said Israel also launched strikes in the country’s south targeting Tal al-Hara near the Israeli-annexed Syrian Golan Heights, and military positions in Izraa, in Daraa province. Further Israeli strikes destroyed warehouses holding “anti-tank weapons” in the Qalamoun area in the Damascus countryside, the Observatory added.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israeli warplanes struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria so they wouldn’t fall into the hands of “extremists”.
United States launched airstrikes targeting ISIS elements inside Syria, the same day opposition forces reached the capital, Damascus, and the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell. The US Central Command announced in a statement that it carried out "dozens of precision airstrikes targeting known ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria on December 8," with the aim of "preventing the terrorist group from conducting external operations and ensuring that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute itself in central Syria." The latest operation involved more than 75 targets, using multiple military assets including B-52 bombers and F-15 aircraft, and resulted in no civilian casualties, according to an initial assessment.
Central Command pledged to continue operations to "degrade ISIS's operational capabilities" during this phase. “There should be no doubt that we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute itself and take advantage of the current situation in Syria, and all organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they cooperate with ISIS or support it in any way,” said the command’s commander, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.
US President Joe Biden pledged that the United States would not allow the extremist group to "exploit the vacuum and restore its capabilities," noting that US aircraft had already launched strikes in Syria targeting the group. The United States had about 900 troops in Syria as part of a coalition it formed in 2014 to fight ISIS.
The US Department of Defense Coordinator for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Alan Matney, revealed that the coalition is adopting new strategies and plans to confront the organization’s threats around the world. Matni said that ISIS no longer "rules territory," but the ideology that the organization boasts of still exists, and there is a need for an international coalition to confront these threats.
"The Chinese government has been actively helping Chinese nationals who wish to leave the country to do so in a safe and orderly way, and staying in contact with those Chinese still in Syria and offering them advice on how to stay safe. We urge relevant parties in Syria to ensure the safety and security of the Chinese institutions and personnel in Syria. The Chinese Embassy is still up and running and carrying out its duty in Syria. We will continue to make every possible assistance to Chinese nationals in need," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
Syria's fate is the sole responsibility of the Syrian people and should be pursued without foreign imposition or destructive intervention, Iran's foreign ministry said on Sunday in a statement, which also said that the relations between the two nations of Iran and Syria have a long history and have always been friendly, and it is expected that these relations will continue, according to CCTV.
Iraq's official news agency reported that the Iraqi embassy building in the Syrian capital has been evacuated, and staff have been moved to Lebanon. This comes after Iraq closed its border crossing with Syria, and the Iranian embassy in Damascus was stormed by members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, Al-Jazeera reported.
Russia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have issued a joint statement calling for a "political solution" to the Syria issue in the capital of Qatar Doha, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.
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