As Syria’s new transitional Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir took office and called for “stability and calm” in the country, Israel launched more than 350 airstrikes targeting weapons stores and strategic infrastructure in the Middle Eastern country in the past 48 hours. Carried out more air strikes. Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), leading rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad three days ago, appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as transitional head of government to run the country until March 1. Was.
Mr al-Bashir, a rebel-led Salvation government little known across much of Syria, swept into Damascus ahead of his 12-day lightning offensive into a pocket of the rebel-held northwest.
In his first interview since being appointed, Mr Bashir told Qatar’s Al Jazeera television, “Now is the time for this people to enjoy stability and calm.”
israel strike syria
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement posted to X that it had carried out more than 350 airstrikes targeting weapons stockpiles and strategic infrastructure in Syria in the past 48 hours.
Targets included Syrian Navy facilities at al-Bayda port and Latakia port, Syrian Air Force airfields, dozens of weapons production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra, numerous anti-aircraft batteries, drones, aircraft, tanks. , tanks, tanks, tanks, missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-sea, surface-to-air, surface-to-surface missiles, UAVs, fighter jets, attack helicopters, radars, hangars, and more.
The IDF said it “conducted airstrikes against 130 assets in Syria, including weapons depots, military structures, launchers and firing positions.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the Syrian naval fleet had been wiped out overnight and that Israeli troops were “establishing themselves” in the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. “.
Türkiye strike
Meanwhile, Turkish intelligence is also attacking targets in Syria. On Tuesday, Turkish security officials said their intelligence agency attacked a convoy of trucks carrying missiles, heavy weapons and ammunition that had been abandoned by the Syrian government and were reportedly being used by Syrian Kurds. was seized by the militia, according to a report by The Guardian.
According to the report, 12 trucks, two tanks and two ammunition depots were “destroyed” in air strikes in the town of Qomishli, near the Turkish border.
US urges ‘inclusive’ process for new Syrian government
Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged all countries to support an “inclusive” political process in Syria, saying the United States will ultimately recognize the government if it meets such standards. “The Syrian people will decide Syria’s future. All countries must support an inclusive and transparent process and avoid outside interference,” Mr Blinken said in a statement.
He said, “The United States will recognize and fully support the future Syrian government that results from this process.”
The US Secretary of State said Syria’s future government must be “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian” after Islamist rebels toppled strongman Bashar al-Assad, a member of the Alawite minority who led a secular dictatorship. Had done.
HTS message to the world
HTS commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, alias Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has urged foreign countries not to fear Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Speaking to American broadcaster Sky News, Jolani said, “Their (West’s) fears are unnecessary, God willing”.
“The country will be rebuilt,” he said, adding, “The fear was from the presence of the regime. The country is moving toward development and reconstruction. It is moving toward stability.”
He continued: “People are tired of war. So the country is not ready for another and it is not going to go into another. The source of our fear was the Iranian militias, Hezbollah and the regime, which carried out the genocide we are seeing today. .
UN considers removing HTS from terrorist list
The United Nations said it would consider removing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from its designated terrorist list if it passes the key test of forming a truly inclusive transitional government, according to a report in The Guardian.
Quoting Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, the report said the UN would consider the resolution if the group could not try to rule Syria in the same way that it controlled Idlib. Was, the northern province where it was based and from where it led the military breakout.
“We have to be honest and look at the facts. It’s been nine years since that resolution was adopted and the reality so far is that HTS and other armed groups are sending good messages of unity and inclusion to the Syrian people and Aleppo. “Things are reassuring on the ground… My message is that Syria cannot be run like Idlib,” he said.
75 Indians evacuated from Syria
India on Tuesday evacuated 75 Indian nationals from Syria, two days after rebel forces ousted the authoritarian government of President Bashar Assad. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the evacuation, coordinated by India’s embassies in Damascus and Beirut, was implemented after assessment of the security situation.
“The Government of India today evacuated 75 Indian nationals from Syria, following recent developments in that country,” he said in a late night statement.
“The evacuees included 44 ‘Zireens’ from Jammu and Kashmir who were stranded in Saeed Zainab. All Indian nationals have been safely evacuated to Lebanon and will be returned by commercial flights available in India,” it said.
