Embattled Syrian President Bashar al Assad, who had survived attempts to overthrow his government throughout a civil war that began in 2011, has reportedly been forced out and slipped away on a plane to parts unknown (later reports have said he is in Moscow).
Washington says it raced (in the words of the Washington Post) to help secure the country by engaging in airstrikes against ISIS weapons stockpiles and operatives Sunday night, and that it ”strongly supports” a ”peaceful transition” via an ”inclusive Syrian-led process.” According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. […]
As for the rebels who have overthrown the government, ”We have taken note of statements made by rebel leaders in recent days, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.” […]
It is not clear, however, how the news is being taken by the Alawite and Christian populations, Assad’s support base, in Damascus, and how the new dynamics will affect the Kurdish advances (supported by the U.S.) in the northeast, the Turkish moves against both Assad and the Kurds, and Israel’s interests in maintaining its control over the disputed Golan Heights (though there have been reports of Tel Aviv bombing Assad military assets in Damascus this morning and taking over the Golan Heights UN buffer zone ). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly called the overthrow of Assad an ”historic day.”
Russia, too, has been involved in the war all along, and was providing airstrikes on behalf of Assad in recent days. Läs artikel