Author: Anadolu Agency

Syrian state television on Sunday aired a video statement by a group of men announcing the ouster of longtime President Bashar al-Assad and the release of all prisoners from jail. The video came after anti-regime armed groups early Sunday took control of the capital Damascus, bringing the Assad regime to a dramatic end. The person who read out the statement called on all opposition members and citizens to protect the institutions of “the free Syrian state.” – Road to Assad regime collapse Clashes broke out between Assad regime forces and anti-regime armed groups on Nov. 27 in rural areas west…

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called Sunday for the creation of a regional coalition to deal with regional instability following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. Assad fled Syria to an unknown location after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus early Sunday, marking the collapse of the Baath Party regime, which had been in power in Syria since 1963. It came almost a week after anti-regime groups seized control of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria. “In the face of events in Syria, it is more important than ever to create a strong regional…

A pro-Russian mercenary group’s planned attacks in the Romanian capital city of Bucharest were thwarted, a media report said on Sunday. The group, led by Horatiu Potra, a Romanian-French mercenary who was actively involved in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), and linked to Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, was intercepted by police in Ilfov province on their way to Bucharest, said the broadcaster Antena3. Inspecting the vehicles belonging to the group members, police found and confiscated some firearms, several axes, swords, machetes, and knives, as well as prohibited drugs, among other items, it added.…

India cited “national interests” and commitments to various regimes in defending arms supplies to Israel. “The issue of India’s exports, including India’s exports of anything which directly or indirectly has any military implications, is guided by our national interest and by our commitments to various regimes,” Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in response to a question in parliament. Indian parliamentarian John Brittas asked if it is a fact that Palestine’s minister of state in the foreign office met Indian ambassador Renu Yadav to request New Delhi reconsider arms sales to Israel because of their use against Palestine civilians. “We are…

US president-elect Donald Trump on Saturday landed in Paris to take part in the reopening ceremony for the Notre Dame cathedral which has been restored after the 2019 fire, an airport source said. Trump, making his first foreign trip since his election win, arrived at Orly airport in the south of Paris aboard a private plane just before 0700 GMT, said the source, asking not to be named. He is to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron before the ceremony and may also meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it has decided to deploy additional forces along its border with Syria in response to recent advances made by anti-regime groups in Syria’s civil war. In a statement, the Israeli army said: “Following an assessment of the situation, it was decided to call up additional forces for defensive operations in the Golan Heights, near the Syrian border.” The army added that the deployment of additional troops would bolster defense efforts in the area and prepare for various scenarios on the front lines, though no further details were provided. Israeli military radio said the…

Turkish, Iranian, and Russian foreign ministers underscored the importance of restarting the political process in Syria during the Astana Format Foreign Ministers Meeting in Doha, Qatar, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the meeting, as did his Iranian and Russian counterparts, Abbas Araghchi and Sergey Lavrov, respectively. The discussions focused on the situation in Syria, with sources describing the meeting as “constructive.” According to sources, the meeting highlighted the need to restart the political process and act in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, as well as reaffirming support for Syria’s territorial integrity…

Norway announced on Saturday that it needs an “integrated Palestine” state that includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said during the 22nd Doha Forum’s panel discussion titled “Conflict Mediation in a New Era,” alongside Qatar’s prime minister and India’s foreign minister, that “we want an integrated Palestine comprising West Bank, Gaza, and relevant parts of Jerusalem.” “I believe the message now from this region is that that is perfectly doable. There might actually be a major deal, but it has to happen with Palestine. “It’s not one conflict, but there is a…

Biden administration officials view the potential collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime within days, according to a report published Saturday. Citing five American officials, CNN reported that there is not yet a formal evaluation of Assad’s future, and his collapse is not guaranteed. One senior US official told the network that “the emerging consensus is that is an increasingly plausible scenario”. Another official said: “Probably by next weekend the Assad regime will have lost any semblance of power”. “Only thing that would delay a rebel conquest would be a well-organized coup and reorganization, but Assad’s folks have done a good job…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said he hopes the march of anti-regime forces toward Damascus continues “without accidents or disasters.” “Idlib, Hama, Homs, and the target, of course, is Damascus. The opposition’s march continues. Our wish is that this march in Syria continues without accidents or disasters,” Erdoğan told reporters following Friday prayers in Istanbul. Syria has become a new focus amid anti-regime forces’ lightning advance across the country’s north that last week saw them take the commercial hub of Aleppo from regime forces, followed by the key city of Hama on Thursday and closing in on the third-largest…