In Syria the rebels who oppose the regime of Bashar al Assad have taken Damascus. Public TV, radio are in their hands and they have declared the “militarily fallen” capital free “from Assad and 50 years of Tyranny”. People are in the streets celebrating and yesterday a statue of the father of Bashar al Assad, former Syrian dictator, was also torn down in Damascus. The son, the former president who already survived the previous uprising of almost ten years ago thanks to Russia, is said to be fleeing to an “unknown destination”. While Prime Minister Ghazi al-Jhalali was recognized as the ferryman, with igrebel groups who called on citizens and fighters to “preserve state property”.
In a press release read on TV, the “operational cell for the liberation of Damascus” announced “the liberation of the city of Damascus, the fall of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad, the release of all prisoners unjustly held in the regime’s prisons” .
What the future of Syria will be now remains to be seen. After having immediately taken control of Aleppo and then that of Quneitraon the border with Israel, they entered a Homsthird largest city in the country. The news was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The military commander of the insurgents Hassan Abdel Ghani stated that over 3,500 prisoners from the central prison were freed in Homs: “Our forces managed to free over 3,500 prisoners from the Homs prison. The process of advancing and rounding up the city’s neighborhoods is currently underway.” “We are living the final moments of the liberation of the city of Homs. This is a historic moment that will distinguish truth from lies” the further announcement on Telegram.
Numerous prisoners were also freed in Damascus. Opposition fighters first arrived in the suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya, while also advancing from eastern Syria, towards the suburb of Harasta. There “final phase” of the offensive finally arrived during the night, as announced by the commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Hts), Hassan Abdul Ghani. And to think that only a few hours ago the Syrian army had reassured its people in a televised speech by assuring that it had strengthened the defense lines around the capital and in the south of the country and that it is launching operations against the rebels in the “campaigns of Hama and Homs, in central Syria, and in the northern countryside of Daraa” in the south.
The situation in Syria is incandescent and there is great mystery about Bashar al-Assad. According to some rumours, the president has left the country, probably to take refuge in Iran. There has been no shortage of denials from the government media, which have reiterated his presence in Damascus. What seems clear is that his power has crumbled as the hours pass and the United States has no doubts: the regime is finished. Five US officials noted that a formal assessment of Assad’s fate has not yet emerged and that opinions differ, saying his disappearance from the scene is not a given. “The Assad regime will probably have lost all semblance of power by next weekend,” LaPresse reported. “The only thing that could delay a rebel takeover would be a well-organized coup and reorganization, but Assad’s people did a good job of stifling any potential competitor.” According to Bloomberg, he was ready for a deal that would allow him to keep the areas remaining under his control or that would guarantee him safe exile. Not before making one last attempt to stay in power through indirect initiatives with Washington. Going into detail, through the United Arab Emirates, it would have put on the table the interruption of any involvement with militant groups supported by Iran, such as Hezbollah, for the intervention of the West aimed at stemming the fighting.
The UNwith Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an orderly political transition. There was no shortage of skirmishes – once again – between Russia and the West, with Lavrov pointing the finger at the US and its allies for what happened: “We are very sorry for the Syrian people who have become the object of another geopolitical experiment”. But in reality diametrically opposed positions come from Washington. In a long post published on the Truth social network, the president-elect Donald Trump he explained that the United States must have nothing to do with Syria: “It is not our battle. Let’s let it resolve itself. Let’s not get involved.” In the meantime, Israel does not stand idly by. The IDF has announced that it wants to strengthen its presence on the border with Syria, on the Golan Heights, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened the national security cabinet to analyze the situation. News cannot be ruled out in the near future.
Italy is monitoring the situation of fellow citizens in Syria, with the embassy ready to organize evacuation to go either to Lebanon or Jordan. So did the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani at the end of a meeting at the Farnesina: “The objective and the solution that we support is the political solution, not a military solution but a solution that allows us to guarantee peace and stability in Syria”.
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