Recap of events on Dec 10th
- Syria’s interim Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, tells Al Jazeera Syrians need “stability and calm” and says he has been meeting with members of the former government to facilitate a political transition.
- Ahmed al-Sharaa, the HTS chief also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, told Sky News Syria is moving towards “development”, “reconstruction” and “stability” after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad.
- Israel’s military announced carrying out about 480 strikes on military targets in Syria over the past 48 hours to prevent “strategic weapons stockpiles” from falling into the hands of “terrorist elements”.
- Rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani says his forces have taken control of the eastern Syrian city of Deir Az Zor after al-Assad’s forces and Iranian backed militias fled the area.
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that at least 218 people have been killed in three days of fighting between Turkish-backed groups and Kurdish-led forces around the northern Syrian city of Manbij.
- A top White House official said US forces will continue to stay in Syria after the fall of al-Assad as part of a counterterrorism mission focused on combating ISIL or ISIS.
Kurdish-led forces say they’ve agreed a ceasefire with Turkiye-backed rebels in Manbij: Report
As we have been reporting, there has been intense fighting between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) around the northern Syrian city of Manbij, with about 218 people killed in just three days.
Now, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi is saying that the US-backed Kurdish group have reached a ceasefire agreement with the Turkey-backed forces. Abdi wrote in a post on X that the ceasefire had been reached through US mediation “to ensure the safety and security of civilians”.
“The fighters of the Manbij Military Council, who have been resisting the attacks since November 27, will withdraw from the area as soon as possible,” Abdi said.
He added that the SDF’s “goal is to cease fire throughout Syria and enter into a political process for the future of the country”.
Blinken backs ‘accountable’ new Syrian government on call with Jordan’s foreign minister
Blinken spoke with Ayman Safadi on a call on Tuesday in which the US Secretary of State “underscored the United States’ support for an accountable and representative Syrian government chosen by the Syrian people”.
“[Blinken] reiterated the importance of protecting civilians, facilitating the flow of humanitarian assistance, preventing Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbours, and ensuring that any chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed,” a US State Department readout of the call stated.
Blinken also emphasised to Safadi that the US is there to support stability among Syria’s neighbours, including Jordan, “during this period of transition”.
US makes first contact with Syrian opposition, urges inclusive governance: Report
In its first communication with Syrian opposition leaders Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) since the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad, the Biden administration has urged the group to form an inclusive transitional government, the Reuters news agency reports, citing two US officials and a congressional aide briefed on the matter.
HTS, a group formerly allied with al-Qaeda, is designated a terrorist organisation by the US, with contact reportedly being conducted through coordination with Washington’s Middle East allies, including Turkiye.
Washington communicated that it believes the transitional government should represent the desires of the Syrian people and would not support HTS taking control without a formal selection process for new leaders, according to the officials.
The anonymous sources declined to say whether the messages were being sent directly or via an intermediary.
The White House is also in touch with President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming team about the situation in Syria, one of the officials added.
Sounds positive, let's hope Trump doesn't fuck it all up like Netanyahu is already doing.
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