Syria’s former prime minister has agreed to handover of power to the rebel forces in a Damascus meeting. The toppling of the Assad regime following more than 50 years of brutal dictatorship was a “victory for the entire Islamic nation,” said Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the main rebel group, HTS, which was formed out of an al Qaeda affiliate.
• Israel said its military struck Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities Monday morning after President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia following a swift rebel offensive and the country said it ordered its military to establish a “security zone” inside Syrian territory. Meanwhile, the US military said it struck more than 75 ISIS targets in Syria to prevent the terrorist group from taking advantage of the situation in the country.
• Assad’s removal was met with jubilation by Syrians at home and abroad. In Damascus, rebels and civilians ransacked the former dictator’s palaces, with videos revealing Assad’s luxurious lifestyle and large car collection, including a Ferrari F50.
Toppling of Assad’s regime in Syria a “big loss” for Iran, Middle East studies professor says
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria is a “big loss” for Iran’s role in the region, according to Vali Nasr, professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
“Iran put a great deal of blood and treasure into preventing Assad from falling during the Arab Spring (…) The loss of Assad means a great deal in terms of having all of that investment come to naught,” the professor told CNN.
The power vacuum left by Iran, now filled by an “Islamist force,” poses a threat to the United States and Israel’s interests in the region, he added.
The top US hostage envoy Roger Carstens is in Beirut as part of the “intensive efforts” to find freelance journalist Austin Tice, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.
The Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs’ travels to the Lebanese capital comes as US officials have intensified efforts to find the detained journalist following the collapse of the Assad government.
“We encourage anyone who has information about Austin’s whereabouts to contact the FBI immediately,” Miller said at a briefing, noting that there is a reward.
CNN reported this weekend that US officials have reached out to Syrian opposition forces about Tice, hoping to learn more about his whereabouts. He was detained at a checkpoint in Damascus in August 2012. The government of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad did not publicly acknowledged detaining Tice.
