The forces of Abu Mohammad al-Julani’s overthrew the Syrian government forces on December 8. Following the collapse of his government, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family were granted asylum by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov confirmed Assad and his family arrived in Moscow following the collapse of the Syrian government, and said he is not able to provide further information, telling NBC News:
He is secured, and it shows that Russia acts as required in such an extraordinary situation…. would be very wrong for me to elaborate on what happened and how it was resolved.
U.S. Response
President-elect Donald Trump commented to the collapse of Assad’s government, claiming Russia was unable to continue its support in Syria due to the war in Ukraine, stating in a post on Truth Social:
Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever. Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success…. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) responded to the developments in Syria, stating that the collapse of Assad’s government will lead to the resurgence of ISIS in the region, which will negatively impact U.S. gas prices, as well as increasing the threat of terrorists attacks targeting the United States. He posted on X:
The reemergence of ISIS is a national security nightmare for America and our allies. We know from past behavior that ISIS will come after the U.S. and our partners in the region. Furthermore, the reemergence of ISIS will create upheaval throughout the region leading to higher gas prices for us at home. We cannot let all the work President Trump did to devastate ISIS be lost because of the failures of President Biden and others.
Israeli Response
In response to Al-Julani’s forces overthrowing the Assad government, Israel carried out air strikes to destroy strategic weapon stockpiles throughout Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated:
We have no intention of interfering in Syria’s internal affairs, but we clearly intend to do what is necessary to ensure our security…. I authorized the air force to bomb strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian army, so that they would not fall into the hands of the jihadists.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated the IDF is carrying out preemptive actions that are self-defense necessities following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, and clarified that Israel is not advancing to capture Damascus, stating in a post on X:
Contrary to reports:
IDF is not advancing on Damascus.
Israel is doing exactly what is necessary:
1. Destroying advanced Syrian military capabilities before they fall into the hands of radical Jihadists.
We do not know what are the motivations of the various players, but we CAN deny them of certain lethal weapons.
October 7th teaches us to focus on capabilities rather than on motivations.
2. Creating a buffer zone between Israel and Syria in order to ensure the safety of Israelis living on the Golan Heights, especially those close to the border.
This is another lesson from October 7th.
Any sane country would do this.
Turkish Response
Following the collapse of the Assad government, Turkish military forces carried out strikes against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed that Turkish military strikes within Syria are in self-defense, and against terrorists threatening Syrian efforts to rebuild a government. He posted on X:
Turkey’s greatest longing, dream and goal is a Syria where all Syrians, regardless of whether they are Arabs, Turkmens, Kurds, Sunnis, Alevis, Nusayris or Christians, live in peace. Syria belongs to Syrians with all their ethnic, religious and sectarian identities.
Turkey has no eyes on the land and sovereignty of another country. The sole purpose of our cross-border operations is to protect our homeland and citizens from terrorist attacks. Neither the PKK and its extensions in Syria nor ISIS are our country’s interlocutors, on the contrary, they are its opponents.
A dark period has now ended in Syria and a bright period has begun. As their neighbors and brothers, our duty is to strongly support the efforts of the Syrian people to rebuild their country, to get it back on its feet and to make it prosperous again. A stable Syria will be a source of security for both its own citizens and other countries in the region.
On the other hand, we are also closely following the overly enthusiastic attitude of the Syrian extension of the separatist organization, which is aimed at turning the chaos into an opportunity.
I would like to remind those who make different calculations according to their own minds: “The wolf knows as many ways as the jackal knows tricks.” Türkiye will not tolerate the emergence of new terrorist hotbeds beyond its borders.
