PM al-Bashir calls on Syrians abroad to return
- Syria’s new transitional Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir says one of his first goals is to “bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad”.
- Israel’s military says it has carried out 480 attacks on Syria in the past 48 hours, destroying 15 naval vessels, anti-aircraft batteries and weapons production sites in several cities.
France calls on Israel ‘respect Syria’s sovereignty’
France’s Foreign Ministry says Israel must withdraw forces from the buffer zone separating the annexed Golan Heights from Syrian territory.
“Any military deployment in the separation zone between Israel and Syria is a violation of the disengagement agreement of 1974 … France calls on Israel to withdraw from the zone and to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
End of ‘bloody regime’ in Syria opens way to peace: Erdogan
The collapse of al-Assad’s “bloody regime” has paved the way for peace and security in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, as hundreds of Syrian refugees made their return from Turkiye into their homeland.
Erdogan said Turkiye sought a voluntary, safe return for Syrians who had been welcomed into the country. “We did not ask those who came to our door whether they were Turkish, Arab, or Kurdish. We didn’t ask those who asked us for help whether they were Muslim, Christian, or Jew,” he said, adding that Turkiye “approached the Syrian crisis with a conscience-driven perspective.”
Footage obtained by Al Jazeera showed a significant crowd at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkiye north of Idlib.
UN chief Guterres sees signs of hope from end of Syrian dictatorship
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday during a visit to South Africa that there were some signs of hope from the end of the Syrian dictatorship.
Guterres added after meeting South Africa’s foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, that the UN was totally committed to a smooth transition of power in Syria.
“I fully trust Syrian people to be able to choose their own destiny,” Guterres said.
Syria rebel leader says won’t pardon detainee torturers
Syria’s opposition leader says that officials involved in torturing detainees will not be pardoned, after thousands were released while families hoped to find others who disappeared in the country’s notorious jails.
“We will not pardon those involved in torturing detainees,” said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, urging countries “to hand over any of those criminals who may have fled so they can be brought to justice”.
Germany to provide $8.4m in humanitarian aid to Syria
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her country will provide an additional 8 million euros ($8.4m) in humanitarian aid for Syria, increase its presence in the country and make State Minister Tobias Lindner its representative there.
“We see a moment of hope,” she said presenting an eight-point-action plan, but added that the situation was “anything but stable”.
The return of Syrian refugees must be coordinated with partners in Europe and the United Nations, she noted.
HTS-led opposition forces take over Manbij after SDF withdrawal
Syrian opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group have taken full control of Manbij in northeastern Syria and have published the footage below, verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency.
We reported earlier how the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) evacuated from the area after an agreement.
