Once the armed opposition groups had reached Damascus, the Syrian capital, after large-scale actions undertaken last November 27, in the areas of Aleppo and Idlib, President Bashar al-Assad left power, left the country, and asked to transfer it in an orderly and peaceful manner.
Syria, which has lived during the last 13 years a situation of war and sanctions that have cost more than half a million dead, and the destruction of a good part of the productive, social and population infrastructure, is now in the power of terrorist and opposition groups, as well as by military actions from Israel, to which is added the illegal occupation of a part of the territory by U.S. troops and war means, who openly steal energy resources and grains.
This time, a quick and surprising irruption of the illegal groups stripped the Government of its power, without apparent resistance or action by the country's military forces.
On Sunday morning, the armed militias announced the fall of the Syrian President's government, the seizure of Damascus and the release of all prisoners from Saydnaya prison, one of the largest in the capital.
In this regard, Syrian Prime Minister Muhamad al-Khalali urged "respect for the views of all ethno-cultural forces in Syrian society, and support efforts to establish an inclusive political process, based on Resolution 2254, adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council," and expressed his readiness to hand over power peacefully.
Saudi Arabia has communicated with all regional players in Syria and is determined to do everything possible to avoid chaos following the overthrow of the Syrian President, Reuters reported Sunday, citing a Saudi official.
"We are in constant communication with Turkey and all interested parties," the insider said.
Late Sunday night it became known that the deposed President had arrived in Moscow, with his family, a Kremlin source told Sputnik. Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, he added.
"Jordan stands by the Syrian brothers and respects their will and their choice," King Abdullah II was quoted as saying by local media.
For its part, the Lebanese group Hezbollah withdrew all its forces from Syria on Saturday as the insurgents approached the capital Damascus, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The United States will maintain a military presence in eastern Syria, Daniel Shapiro, the Pentagon's deputy assistant secretary for the Middle East, said on Sunday, Reuters and Al Arabiya reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied rumors of a possible withdrawal of Russian ships from their base deployed in Tartus, western Syria.
The Foreign Ministry made it known that his country was "following the developments with extreme concern," and urged all parties involved to refrain from the use of violence and resolve all governance issues by political means.
For his part, the leader of the armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (hts), Abu Muhamad al-Jolani, ordered on Sunday the forces to stay away from official institutions in Damascus, and affirmed that they will remain under the supervision of the Prime Minister until they are "officially" handed over.
Hispantv reports that Iran ratified its support to Syrian sovereignty, and assured that "only the people of that country can decide its destiny, without foreign interference."
To this end, Iran emphasized that "the end, as soon as possible, of the military confrontations, the prevention of terrorist actions and the beginning of a national dialogue with the participation of all sectors that make up Syrian society are required."
A press report on Sunday also reported that a group of men looted the Central Bank of Syria.
After learning of the events in Damascus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who traveled to the Syrian border, said that "the change of power in Syria opens new opportunities for Israel."
The Zionist premier gave the order to his military to seize the so-called buffer zone separating the (occupied) Golan Heights from the rest of Syria.
Sources: Reuters, Hispantv, rt, Sputnik, and Al Arabiya.
