A bunch of unknown gunmen stormed the Iranian embassy in Damascus on Sunday after Islamist rebels took the town and overthrew the regime of Bashar Assad, who the Russian Foreign Ministry says fled the nation and left “directions” for a switch of energy.
Iranian state tv reported on the embassy incident, saying they didn’t consider the gunmen had been affiliated with the wider rebel group that took the town. Iran had withdrawn most of its officers and their households on Saturday, leaving solely a handful of diplomats.
“It is claimed that the Iranian embassy was stormed alongside close by shops by an armed group completely different from the group now controlling [most of] Syria,” Iranian state TV mentioned, referring to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which spearheaded current insurgent advances.
Arab and Iranian media have shared footage from contained in the embassy’s premises, the place assailants rummaged via furnishings and paperwork contained in the constructing and broken some home windows.
ISLAMIST REBELS IN SYRIA CATCH ASSAD, PUTIN, IRAN REGIMES OFF GUARD GIVING US NEW MIDEAST HEADACHE
Rebel fighters stand close to the Iranian embassy with a torn poster of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and late Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ prime commander Qassem Soleimani after Syrian rebels introduced that they’ve ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria December 8, 2024. (REUTERS/Firas Makdesi)
Assad and his British-born spouse, Asma al-Assad, fled Damascus with their three kids this weekend, in accordance with Syrian tv stories. It was not identified the place they had been headed.
A video assertion from a gaggle of males on Syrian state TV mentioned that Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners have been let loose.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali mentioned early Sunday he did not know the whereabouts of Assad. He advised the Saudi tv community Al-Arabiyya that they misplaced communication Saturday evening.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry mentioned in a Telegram submit Sunday that Assad left Syria following negotiations with insurgent teams, and that the long-time Syrian chief had left “directions” to “switch energy peacefully.” The Russian ministry mentioned the Kremlin was in a roundabout way concerned in these discussions.
TOPSHOT – An image taken on the entrance of the Kweyris army airfield within the japanese a part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024 reveals a portrait of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and a nationwide flag within the rubbish dumpster following the take over of the world by insurgent teams. (Photo by RAMI AL SAYED/AFP through Getty Images)
Crowds of Syrians gathered within the central squares of Damascus to have a good time the information of Assad’s departure. Some chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked horns. In different areas, celebratory gunshots rang out.
Syria has been embroiled in a bloody, almost 14-year civil struggle as Islamist rebels appeared to overthrow the Assad dynasty. The obvious collapse of greater than 50 years of Assad family rule over the Syrian Arabian Republic is a monumental turning level in Middle East politics.
The overthrow of Assad in Syria presents one more disaster within the Middle East dealing with the incoming Trump administration. (Getty Images)
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the Islamist chief of HTS, who has a $10 million bounty on his head from the U.S., seeks to current a toned-down model of the novel Islamism that has outlined his years of preventing in Syria and in Iraq in opposition to American troops. Al-Golani was detained by the U.S. army within the first decade of this century.
Syrian consultants have advised Fox News Digital that HTS seeks to impose a totalitarian Islamist regime on the inhabitants. Phillip Smyth, an professional on Iranian regime proxy teams and Syria, who’s with the Atlantic Council, advised Fox News Digital, “HTS is a gaggle that’s an outgrowth of Al-Qaeda and has connections to Turkey. Their endgame is to create a Taliban-esque society with just a few tweaks.”
Syrian opposition fighters take away a authorities Syrian flag from an official constructing in Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria Syria, Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Al-Golani banned his fighters from opening hearth into the air in Damascus.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Public establishments will stay below the supervision of the prime minister till they’re formally handed over,” he mentioned in an announcement revealed on his group’s social media shops.
Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal and Bradford Betz and Reuters contributed to this report
