Camille Naredo

A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on December 7, 2024. Omar Haj Kadour, AFP/File

A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on December 7, 2024. - Syria's embattled government said on December 7 it was setting up a ring of steel around Damascus, state media reported, as rebels on a lightning advance said they were bearing down on the city. The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group which has headed the assault, told fighters to prepare to take Damascus, just over a week into a renewed offensive in the long dormant conflict. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

Article (news)

Syria

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1734279664236AFP__20241207__36PT7PR__v1__Preview__SyriaConflictHama.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime&#x27;s Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on December 7, 2024. Omar Haj Kadour, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime&#x27;s Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on December 7, 2024. <em>Omar Haj Kadour, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>DAMASCUS, Syria -- A week after a lightning rebel offensive toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, the United Nations special envoy for Syria on Sunday called for justice to prevail, not revenge.</p><p>Syrians are only now beginning to scratch the surface of the atrocities committed, after the former despot fled the country for Russia.</p><p>&quot;We need to see of course justice and accountability for crimes,&quot; UN envoy Geir Pedersen said after arriving in Damascus.</p><p>&quot;And we need to make sure that that goes through a credible justice system, and that we don&#x27;t see any revenge.&quot;</p><p>Pedersen also called for &quot;increased, immediate&quot; aid to war-ravaged Syria, saying it had been through &quot;an enormous... humanitarian crisis&quot;.</p><p>&quot;We need to make sure that Syria receives increased, immediate humanitarian assistance,&quot; he said.</p><p>Assad fled Syria last Sunday following an 11-day rebel offensive led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), bringing to a dramatic end more than 50 years of Assad rule.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/14/-friday-of-victory-mass-rallies-across-syria-celebrate-end-of-assad-1655">READ: Mass rallies across Syria celebrate end of Assad</a></div><p>It came more than 13 years into the civil war sparked by Assad&#x27;s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.</p><p>The war has killed upwards of 500,000 people and displaced more than half the country&#x27;s population.</p><p>In the week since the rebels took Damascus, each day has seen more light shed on the depths of the despair visited upon Syria&#x27;s people over the past decades.</p><p>Journalist Mohammed Darwish was one of those held in the so-called Palestine Branch, a jail run by Syria&#x27;s feared intelligence services.</p><p>&quot;I was one of those they interrogated the most,&quot; Darwish told AFP as he returned to the prison years after his ordeal. He said he was questioned &quot;every day, morning and night&quot; for 120 days.</p><div><strong>- Back to school -</strong></div><div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABRzJVqemW0dlc5n&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script></div><p>Calm is slowly returning to the streets of Damascus, with dozens of children streaming back to school Sunday for the first time since Assad fled.</p><p>An official at one school said &quot;no more than 30 percent&quot; were back on Sunday, but &quot;these numbers will rise gradually&quot;.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/15/back-to-school-for-many-children-in-damascus-2031">READ: Back to school for many children in Damascus</a></div><p>On the diplomatic front, US State Secretary Antony Blinken said Saturday Washington had &quot;been in contact with HTS and with other parties,&quot; without specifying how.</p><p>After meeting in Jordan, Western and Arab states along with Turkey -- a key backer of anti-Assad rebels -- called for a united peaceful Syria.</p><p>In a joint statement, diplomats from the United States, Turkey, the European Union and Arab countries called for a Syrian-led transition to &quot;produce an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government formed through a transparent process&quot;, with respect for human rights.</p><p>France said a four-strong diplomatic team would arrive on Tuesday to &quot;retake possession of our real estate&quot; as well as &quot;establishing initial contact&quot; with the new authorities and &quot;evaluating the urgent needs of the population&quot;, acting Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.</p><p>A Qatari delegation was due in Syria Sunday to meet transitional government officials for talks on aid and reopening its embassy.</p><p>Unlike other Arab states, Qatar never restored diplomatic ties with Assad after a rupture in 2011.</p><p>Turkey was ready to provide military support to Syria&#x27;s new Islamist-led government set up by rebels if it requests it, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said on Sunday.</p><p>Guler said the new leadership should be given &quot;a chance&quot; and that Ankara was &quot;ready to provide the necessary support&quot; if needed, in remarks reported by Turkish media.</p><p>Sunni Muslim HTS is rooted in Syria&#x27;s branch of Al-Qaeda and is designated a &quot;terrorist&quot; organization by many Western governments.</p><p>Although it has sought to moderate its rhetoric in recent years, its seizure of power has sparked concerns both domestically and internationally over the protection of religious and ethnic minorities.</p><p>The interim government insists that the rights of all Syrians will be protected, as will the rule of law.</p><p>On Sunday, Syrian Christians attended their first church service since Assad&#x27;s fall.</p><p>Pubs and stores selling alcohol in Damascus initially closed following the rebel victory, but are now tentatively reopening.</p><p>The landlord of one Damascus bar said the rebels told him: &quot;&#x27;You have the right to work and live your life as you did before&#x27;.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/12/syria-s-new-government-thanks-countries-that-reopened-missions-1937">READ: Syria&#x27;s new government thanks countries that reopened missions</a></div><div><strong>- Israeli strikes -</strong></div><div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABRzJJeyYQJMCoL8&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script></div><p>Assad was propped up by Russia, Iran and Lebanon&#x27;s Hezbollah militant group.</p><p>The rebel onslaught began on November 27, the day a ceasefire took effect in the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon, in which Assad&#x27;s ally suffered staggering losses.</p><p>Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem admitted Saturday that with Assad gone, his group could no longer be supplied militarily through Syria.</p><p>He also said he hoped Syria&#x27;s new rulers saw Israel &quot;as an enemy&quot; and do not normalize ties with the country.</p><p>Both Israel and Turkey have carried out military strikes inside Syria since Assad&#x27;s fall.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/11/pope-calls-for-mutual-respect-between-religions-in-syria-1948">READ: Pope calls for &#x27;mutual respect&#x27; between religions in Syria</a></div><p>The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Sunday reported new Israeli strikes near Damascus, after 60 strikes across Syria on Saturday.</p><p>The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, reported attacks on Syrian army tunnels and arms depots in the Damir area.</p><p>Israel has also ordered troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, a move the UN said violated a 1974 armistice.</p><p>HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, said Israel&#x27;s move &quot;threatens a new unjustified escalation in the region&quot;.</p><p>But &quot;the general exhaustion in Syria after years of war and conflict does not allow us to enter new conflicts&quot;, he said in an online statement.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>A week after a lightning rebel offensive toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, the United Nations special envoy for Syria on Sunday called for justice to prevail, not revenge.</p>

A week after a lightning rebel offensive toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, the United Nations special envoy for Syria on Sunday called for justice to prevail, not revenge.

A week after Assad's fall, UN urges justice, not revenge

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A week after Assad's fall, UN urges justice, not revenge

Agence France-Presse,

Maher Al Mounes with Marisol Rifai in Beirut

Published December 16, 2024 01:29 AM PHT

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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

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