UN Special Envoy holds meeting: Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), met with UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in Damascus. According to a statement from local Al-Watan online news outlet, the two discussed political changes.
Israel eyes Golan Heights: The Israeli government has approved plans to expand settlements in the Golan Heights. This information was given in a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Golan Heights is an area of Syria, which is currently occupied by Israel. Israel’s military chief Harzi Halevi has said that his country will not intervene in Syria but will focus on preventing ‘terrorist elements’ from taking root in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Russia expels some diplomats from Syria: Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that Russia has evacuated some of its diplomats from the Syrian capital Damascus, while its embassy is still functioning. The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the diplomats were flown to Moscow on a Russian Aerospace Forces flight from Syria’s Khmeimim airbase.
Britain establishes diplomatic contacts with HTS: The British government has established diplomatic contacts with the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has now seized control of the country from ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed this. “HTS is still a banned terrorist organisation, but the UK can make diplomatic contacts and we do that as you would expect,” he said.
Impact of Syria crisis on Hezbollah: Hezbollah leader Naim Qasim has admitted that the conflict in Syria has also affected the route through which their weapons reach. In his first televised address on Saturday since the fall of the Assad government, Qasim acknowledged the disruption. He said the supply route could be restored once new arrangements are established, or Hezbollah could seek alternative routes.
Assad did not want to leave the country: Syria’s ousted President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday that he did not want to leave Syria. Al-Assad said that he had no plans to leave the country.
Iran’s eye on the situation in Syria: A few days after the rebel forces in Syria overthrew the government of President Bashar Assad, Iran said that it was too early to make decisions about the current situation. Iran stressed that Tehran’s concern is not just about Syria or Iran, but about the stability and security of “the entire region.”
UN appeals to stop military operations: The Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for Syria said that Israel’s military operations in Syria should be stopped. He said that all conflicts in the Middle East need to be stopped immediately. Geir Pedersen said in a press conference, “A very disturbing thing is that we are seeing continued Israeli activities and bombings in Syrian territory. “Needs to be stopped.”
Who will run the government now?- According to Arab media reports, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Mohammed al-Bashir will be the head of Syria’s interim government. Earlier, he had led the HTS government in Idlib state of Syria. Bashar al-Assad belongs to the Alawite community. This community is a minority in Syria. The population of Alawite community in Syria is only 12%, but the power was with this Alawite dynasty.
Bashar al-Assad’s pictures go viral: Semi-nude pictures of Bashar al-Assad are going viral on social media. In fact, after the capture, rebels stormed Assad’s palaces and found evidence of the 59-year-old dictator’s lavish life during his rule.
