“Victory Friday”: Syrians celebrate first Friday since fall of Assad regime and Arab and international political movement on Syria
- Thousands of Syrians flocked to public squares and squares throughout Syria to celebrate "Victory Friday" after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, before Arab and international political agitation...
- The commander-in-chief of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Shara, nicknamed al-Julani, called on Syrians to take to the square to celebrate the victory of the revolution, and al-Shara appealed...
- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - an Islamist organization that, despite breaking away from al-Qaeda, is still classified as a terrorist by Western countries - led a coalition of several...
image source, Reuters
Thousands of Syrians flocked to public squares and squares throughout Syria to celebrate “Victory Friday” after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, before Arab and international political agitation over Syrian events.
The commander-in-chief of Syria’s new administration, Ahmed al-Shara, nicknamed al-Julani, called on Syrians to take to the square to celebrate the victory of the revolution, and al-Shara appealed to Syrians “not to”. Fire Bullet” during the celebration. He also said: After the celebration, let us go to build this country.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – an Islamist organization that, despite breaking away from al-Qaeda, is still classified as a terrorist by Western countries – led a coalition of several armed factions that launched the attack on Sunday, November 27, on December 8. Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed with the entry into Damascus.
Thousands of men, women and children gathered in the main centers of the capital Damascus, Homs and Aleppo in the north, and the city of Suwayda in the south.
In a festive atmosphere reminiscent of the massive protests of 2011, many waved the flag with the three red stars used by the protesters and the new authorities took it over.
Worshipers at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus chanted, “One, one, one, the people of Syria are one,” and Friday’s sermon was delivered at the mosque by Prime Minister Muhammad al-Bashir, who is in charge of the transition phase.
On the mosque’s walls, hung dozens of photos of people who disappeared after being arrested by the former government’s security services, while thousands of Syrians continue to search for their missing loved ones after decades of disappearances and persecution.
political movement
In the face of many political, social and security challenges in a divided, multi-communal and multi-religious country, the new authorities are trying to reassure the public in parallel with the action of the international community.
Leaders of the G7 nations will hold a video meeting on Friday to discuss the situation in Syria, which al-Bashir pledged on Tuesday to make it a “state of law”.
According to a report by Agence France-Presse, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that his country will reopen its embassy in Damascus on Saturday after a long closure since 2012.
A Qatari official told Reuters on Friday that Doha would send the first official delegation to Damascus on Sunday to meet with Syria’s interim government and discuss reopening the Qatari embassy and improving humanitarian aid delivery.
The official added that earlier reports issued by the Syrian Ministry of Information about the Qatari State Security Service chief’s visit to Syria on Thursday were incorrect.
On Saturday, Jordan will host a summit on Syria that will bring together American, European, Arab and Turkish ministers and senior diplomats.
During his regional tour, where he focused on the Syria file, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated in Iraq and Turkey that Washington will work to prevent the return of ISIS after the overthrow of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
At a time when Blinken confirmed, from the capital Baghdad on Friday, December 13, Washington’s commitment to Iraq’s security and preventing the return of ISIS, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani said his country is waiting for “deeds, not words.” “From Syria’s new rulers.
He stressed the need to “not allow any attack on Syrian territory from any side,” as it “threats the security and stability of the region.”
It is worth noting that Blinken’s visit to Baghdad was not announced, according to Agence France-Presse.
For its part, the Baghdad government stressed, after Assad’s fall, the “need to respect the free will” of Syrians and to protect Syria’s territorial integrity.
Blinken’s position comes in the context of his third stop in the Middle East, which in addition to Iraq included Jordan and Turkey, after an offensive by armed opposition led by Hayat Tahrir ousted Bashar al-Assad. Al-Sham
The European Union wants to engage with the new Syrian authorities “soon” at an “operational level” and not at a political level, according to a senior European official.
image source, Reuters
Human air bridge
On Friday, the European Union announced the launch of a humanitarian air bridge to Syria via Turkey, after the World Food Program launched an emergency appeal to raise $250 million to provide “food aid” to Syrians.
The United Nations has registered more than 1 million newly displaced people since attacks by groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
For his part, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria said the new authorities had sent a “constructive signal” to stay in Syria and continue their work.
“It’s too early”
Members of the US Senate, both Republican and Democratic, said it was too early to consider lifting sanctions on Syria after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
According to a Reuters report, Senator Jim Risch, the most senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: “We’re all really happy that Assad is gone… We’ve been working on this for a long time, and is the mission accomplished?”
He said, opposition leaders have given encouraging speeches about unity and human rights, but we have to wait until their behavior becomes clear.
Risch will chair the Foreign Relations Committee, which oversees US diplomacy, starting in January, when Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes control of the Senate.
The United States has about 900 troops deployed in northeastern Syria and supports the Syrian Democratic Forces, the backbone of which are the Kurds.
“All Winter”
image source, Reuters
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Friday ordered the army to be “ready to stay” in the buffer zone of the strategic Golan Heights, occupied since 1967, during the winter.
“Given what is happening in Syria, it is of great security importance for us to hold the summit,” Defense Minister Israel Katz’s office said in a statement.
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against strategic military sites in Syria in recent days to prevent Syrian army equipment from “falling into the wrong hands,” according to Blinken.
However, the UN has called on Israel to withdraw from the buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that he was “deeply concerned by the recent and massive violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”