December 8, 2024 9:18 PM.
In Syria, opposition forces swept into Damascus on Sunday, marking a historic turning point in country’s long-running civil war as Bashar Assad’s government collapsed, triggering celebrations in the capital and raising regional security concerns. In a dramatic development, Syrian rebels stormed Iran’s embassy in Damascus, while Hezbollah withdrew all its forces from Syria as opposition factions approached the capital, according to two Lebanese security sources.
In scenes unimaginable just days before, crowds filled Damascus streets, their celebrations punctuated by celebratory gunfire and prayers. The opposition’s lightning advance first captured Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, before pushing into the capital, achieving what had eluded them since their last approach to Damascus in 2018.
The impact of Assad’s fall rippled through the region, with Israel swiftly deploying additional troops to the Golan Heights border area. Israeli authorities declared agricultural areas along the border as closed military zones and moved some schools to online classes. The 1974 disengagement agreement that has governed the shared border now faces an uncertainty.
The rapidly unfolding events also prompted diplomatic movements across the region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held urgent talks with UN envoy for syria to discuss stabilization measures. The United States, maintaining its presence in eastern Syria, pledged to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State, at the Manama Dialogue security conference.
At Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing, the mood turned festive as local Lebanese residents distributed sweets to Syrians waiting to return to their homeland. Meanwhile, the European Union’s top diplomat characterized Assad’s fall as evidence of weakening support from his traditional allies in Moscow and Tehran.
