New era starts in Syria as the world watches

Syrians awakened on Monday to a hopeful if uncertain future, after rebels seized the capital Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, following 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family's rule.

With a curfew declared by the rebels, Damascus was calm after dawn, with shops closed and streets largely empty. Most of those out were rebels, and many cars bore license plates from Idlib, the northwestern province from which the fighters launched their lightning advance just 12 days ago.

Firdous Omar, from Idlib, among a group of fighters in central Umayyad Square, said he had been fighting since 2011 and was now looking forward to laying down his weapon and returning to his job as a farmer.

"We had a purpose and a goal and now we are done with it. We want the state and security forces to be in charge."

The lightning advance of a militia alliance spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate, was a generational turning point for the Middle East.

It ends a war that killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble, swathes of countryside depopulated and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions. Millions of refugees could finally go home from camps across Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan.

Under Assad, Syria had strong ties with Iran and Russia. Türkiye, long aligned with Assad's foes, emerges strengthened – while Israel hailed it as an outcome of its blows to Assad's allies.

The Arab world faces the challenge of reintegrating one of the Middle East's central states, while containing the militant Sunni Islam that underpinned the anti-Assad revolt but has also metastasized into the horrific sectarian violence of Islamic State.

HTS is still designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations and most countries, but has spent years trying to soften its image and distance itself from its al Qaeda roots to reassure foreign states and minority groups within Syria.

'A new history'

The group's leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani – vowed to rebuild Syria.

"A new history, my brothers, is being written in the entire region after this great victory," he told a huge crowd at the ancient Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on Sunday. With hard work, he said, Syria would be "a beacon for the Islamic nation."

Assad's prime minister, Mohammed Jalali, said he would be willing to meet with Golani and was ready to provide documents and assistance for the transfer of power. He said he had no answer to the fate of the Syrian army.

"It is a question left to the brothers who will take over the management of the country's affairs, what concerns us today is the continuation of services for Syrians," he said.

One of the final areas to fall to the rebels was the Mediterranean coast, heartland of Assad's Alawite sect and site of Russia's naval base. Looting took place in the coastal city of Latakia on Sunday but had subsided on Monday, residents said, with few people in the streets and shortages of fuel and bread.

Two Alawite residents said that so far the situation had panned out better than they thought, seemingly without sectarian retribution against Alawites. One said a friend had been visited at home by rebel fighters who told him to hand over any weapons he had, which he did.

Türkiye to help Syrian migrants return home

Türkiye will work for the safe and voluntary return home of the Syrian migrants it hosts and will help in the reconstruction of Syria, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.

Türkiye, which said it gave no support and had no involvement in the offensive by the Syrian opposition forces it has backed for years against Assad, said on Sunday it wanted the new Syrian administration to be inclusive and for Syrians to determine their own future.

Fidan said Türkiye was ready to provide support for Syria's rebuilding and that it was coordinating with all "regional actors and parties."

"In the coming period, we want a Syria where different ethnic and religious groups live in an inclusive understanding of governance and in peace. We want to see a new Syria that has ties with its neighbors, that adds peace and stability to its region," Fidan said.

"We will continue our work to ensure the safe and voluntary return of Syrians and for the country's reconstruction."

Iran in direct contact with groups in Syria's new leadership

Iran has opened a direct line of communication with rebels in Syria's new leadership, a senior Iranian official said on Monday, in an attempt to "prevent a hostile trajectory" between the countries.

Iran said it expected relations with Damascus to continue based on the two countries' "far-sighted and wise approach" and called for the establishment of an inclusive government representing all segments of Syrian society.

Three Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran seeks diplomatic avenues to establish contact with people whom one of the officials called "those within Syria's new ruling groups whose views are closer to Iran's."

"The main concern for Iran is whether Assad's successor will push Syria away from Tehran's orbit," a second Iranian official said. "That is a scenario Iran is keen to avoid."

"This engagement is key to stabilize ties and avoiding further regional tensions," the official said.

UN rights chief sees huge chance for fair transition

The UN human rights chief has said there was a "huge chance" for an inclusive political transition, and early signs were promising.

"Any political transition must ensure accountability for perpetrators of serious violations, and guarantee that those responsible are held to account," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said. "What needs to happen in Syria itself is to build up a domestic legal system that allows for fair trials."

Turk said there was a "huge chance" for inclusive dialogue on the political transition in Syria's new era.

"I hope that within this current environment ... there will be this inclusive, very inclusive dialogue," he said. "There is a huge chance for this to happen. And what we have seen initially is indeed cooperation."

Kremlin says it will discuss Russian bases with Syria's new rulers

The Kremlin said on Monday that it was too early to say what the future would hold for Russia's military bases in Syria, adding that it would be the subject of discussion with the new rulers in Damascus.

The power shift has raised questions about two strategically-important Russian military facilities in Syria. Asked about the future of the bases, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "It's premature to talk about it yet."

"This is all a subject for discussion with those who will be in power in Syria," Peskov said, adding that there was "extreme instability" in the country.

"Of course, everything is being done now that is necessary and everything that is possible in order to get in touch with those who can deal with security. And, of course, our military is also taking all necessary precautions," Peskov said.

Berlin says Syria's HTS will be judged by its treatment of minorities

A German foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday that HTS will be judged by its treatment of minorities.

"In recent months and years, HTS has endeavored to distance itself from its jihadist origins and to build up civilian structures," the spokesperson said.

"Whether these efforts can now be taken seriously will be seen in particular in the treatment of civilians and especially minorities in the areas they now control," the spokesperson added.

China calls for 'political solution' to restore stability in Syria

China's foreign ministry on Monday called for a "political solution" to be found in Syria as soon as possible to restore stability and order.

China is closely following developments in Syria, and hopes all relevant parties will act in the fundamental interests of the Syrian people, said foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

"The future and destiny of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people, and we hope that all the relevant parties will find a political solution to restore stability and order as soon as possible," Mao said.

Israel, U.S. launch strikes

Israel said the rebels' success was a direct consequence of Israel's punishing assault on Lebanese group Hezbollah, long-term Assad allies who have been decimated since September by an Israeli air and ground campaign.

On Sunday, Israel struck sites linked to Iran in Syria. It has also pushed tanks over the border into a demilitarized buffer zone to prevent a spillover from the turmoil there, but says it intends on staying out of the conflict. On Monday the Israeli military published photos of its forces in the Mount Hermon border area.

The United States, which has 900 soldiers on the ground in Syria operating alongside Kurdish-led forces in the east, said its forces hit around 75 targets in air strikes against Islamic State camps and operatives on Sunday.

"There's a potential that elements in the area, such as ISIS, could try to take advantage of this opportunity and regain capability... Those strikes were focused on those cells," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Japan.

Rebels take north Syria town from U.S.-backed group, Turkish source says

Türkiye-backed Syrian opposition groups took control of the northern Syrian town of Manbij from U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces (SDF), a Turkish security source said on Monday. The SDF had been holding the town in recent days amid intense fighting with the Syrian National Army (SNA) and other Türkiye-backed groups.

A video, verified by Reuters, showed opposition forces being welcomed by people in Manbij, which is some 30 kilometers south of the Turkish border and west of the Euphrates river.

Abdurrahman Mustafa, head of the Türkiye-backed opposition's provisional government, congratulated the troops that took Manbij.

"We stand with pride and honor with our heroic forces, and we support them to complete the liberation of every inch of our land and achieve the aspirations of our people for freedom and dignity," Mustafa said in a post on X.