Author: Anadolu Agency

Taiwan on Monday said it raised the alert level among its combat units after Taipei detected movement by the Chinese military around the island nation. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had set up seven “air reserves zones” around eastern Fujian and Zhejiang provinces for a two-day period ending Wednesday. It added the PLA had dispatched naval vessels, as well as coast guard boats, while Taipei initiated “combat readiness drills” and its military units on its outlying islands “heightened their vigilance.” Beijing has yet to announce whether it plans any military drills.…

The Kremlin on Monday confirmed that deposed head of the Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad and his family were given asylum by Russia. “Of course, such decisions cannot be made without the head of state. It is his (Russian President Vladimir Putin) decision,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow. Noting that Putin’s official schedule does not include a meeting with Assad, Peskov said there is also “nothing to tell” about his current whereabouts. Peskov said that Moscow is working to contact those who can ensure the security of Russian military bases in Syria, while the Russian military is also…

Egypt on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s seizure of a demilitarized buffer zone in Syria’s Golan Heights following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. A Foreign Ministry statement described the Israeli grab of the Syrian land as “an occupation of Syrian territories and a flagrant violation to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.” The 1974 Disengagement Agreement led to Israel’s withdrawal from some Syrian territories but left the Golan Heights under Israeli control. Egypt called the Israeli practices a breach of international law and a violation of Syria’s territorial integrity. It called on the UN Security Council and world powers to assume…

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reiterated condemnation “in the strongest terms” of Israel’s military aggression against Lebanon, reaffirming Islamabad’s “unwavering” support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a phone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati, he welcomed the Lebanon-Israel cease-fire and called for a similar cease-fire agreement in Gaza, said a statement from Sharif’s office. Referring to “brotherly and warm” relations between the two nations, Sharif stated that the “entire” Pakistani nation stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon during these challenging times. Pakistan has already provided humanitarian assistance to Lebanon. Both leaders exchanged views…

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged Monday global leaders to intensify efforts to prevent genocide and bring perpetrators to justice as he marked the 76th anniversary of the Genocide Convention. Saying that the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted in the aftermath of the Holocaust, Guterres in a statement said: “The Convention is a pledge to the victims and survivors of genocide to ensure that these atrocities never occur again.” “Tragically, in a world plagued by division, mistrust and violence, the dark spectre of genocide is still with us,” he said. Urging all countries…

NATO’s secretary general on Monday hailed what he called a “moment of joy” in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime, voicing hope for a peaceful transition. Writing on X, “Good to speak with (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan about Syria,” Mark Rutte added: “This is a moment of joy but also uncertainty for millions. We hope for a peaceful transition, respect for the rule of law & protection of minorities.” Rutte also said that Russia and Iran were “complicit in the crimes of Assad.” Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups…

Sixty-one years of Baath Party rule in Syria collapsed on Sunday when the capital Damascus fell out of the hands of regime control. The Arab Socialist Baath Party had come to power in Syria in 1963, in a coup. In 1970, Hafez al-Assad-the father of Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s newly deposed ruler-seized power in an internal party coup and became president in 1971. After the death of his father in 2000, Bashar al-Assad took over the Baath regime. The rule of Assad and the Baath regime ended when anti-regime groups entered the capital Damascus, capping off a series of rapid and…

South Korea’s former defense minister was taken into custody early Sunday for his role in last week’s martial law declaration, which plunged the country into a deepening political crisis. Kim Yong-hyun had already resigned after the short-lived martial law declaration by President Yoon Suk-yeol, which was lifted within hours after parliament voted it down, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported. Kim had already faced a travel ban. A police investigation has already been launched into Yoon and others for alleged insurrection. The latest move came a day after Yoon survived an impeachment motion in parliament. Six opposition parties submitted the motion, which…

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…