Summary

  1. What is the Golan Heights?published at 14:36 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    We mentioned earlier that the IDF has for the first time acknowledged that its troops are operating beyond the demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights.

    But what does this mean in the context of the recent developments in Syria?

    The Golan Heights is a rocky plateau in south-west Syria, extending towards north-east Israel.

    In the 1967 Middle East war, Israel captured about 1,200 km sq (roughly 460 square miles) of the Golan Heights, from which Syria had attacked it.

    Israel annexed the area in 1981, in a move which has not been recognised by the vast majority of the international community. The Trump administration broke with decades of US policy by recognising Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights in 2019.

    Syria says the land has always belonged to it and has vowed to recover the territory, while Israel says the heights are crucial for its defence and will remain in its hands forever.

    About 20,000 Jewish settlers live on the Golan Heights, which is also home to Israeli military bases and listening posts. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

    A map showing where the Golan Heights is in relation to Syria (to the east) and Israel (to the west)
  2. Turkey says Israel 'displaying occupying mentality' in Syria buffer zonepublished at 14:15 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Turkish President Recep Erdogan - whose country hosts the most Syrian refugees of any other - says Syria should not be divided again.

    Turkey has become home to millions Syrian refugees during its civil war and supported some armed groups operating in the country.

    Speaking earlier this monring, Erdogan says his country will stand against any attacks on the "integrity of (Syria's) lands".

    "From now on, we cannot allow Syria to be divided again... Any attack on the freedom of the Syrian people, the stability of the new administration, and the integrity of its lands will find us standing against it," he adds.

    His comments come after the Turkish foreign ministry earlier denounced the Israel Defense Forces for entering a the demilitarised buffer zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria.

    "When the possibility of achieving the peace and stability that the Syrian people have desired for many years has emerged, Israel is once again displaying its occupying mentality", the ministry said in a statement, reiterating support for Syria's "territorial integrity".

    Israel has said it entered the UN-patrolled area for security reasons.

  3. Arab states condemn Israel's reported operations inside Syria buffer zonepublished at 13:59 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Some Arab countries have issued official statements rejecting Israel's reported seizure of the demilitarised buffer zone with Syria in the occupied Golan Heights.

    Foreign ministries in Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have said the Israeli move is a violation of Syria's sovereignty, international law, and the disengagement agreement signed in 1974 - which Israel says has collapsed.

    A spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry said during a press conference on Tuesday that they consider it unacceptable for Israel to "exploit" the current situation in Syria.

    This development comes after a source quoted by Reuters said that Israeli forces were advancing towards Damascus.

    While an Israeli military official originally denied these claims, the Israeli Defence Forces later acknowledged that its troops could be operating beyond the demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights.

    The IDF strongly denies it is advancing towards the Syrian capital, describing this as "fake news".

    Following Bashar al-Assad's regime being toppled, Israel moved into the buffer zone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria had "collapsed" with the rebel takeover of the country.

  4. IDF acknowledges operations beyond the buffer zonepublished at 13:43 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    The Israel Defense Forces has acknowledged for the first time that its troops are operating beyond the demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights.

    In a briefing, the IDF international spokesperson Nadav Shoshani says Israel "wanted to make clear the reality" that its forces were operating in "area of separation, and then a few additional points".

    Shoshani says: “When we say a few additional points, we're talking the area of separation or the area of the buffer zone in vicinity."

    He adds that these places are "points for defence" and the IDF is operating as part of a "process of trying to make sure the area keeps safe" and ensure stability.

    But Shoshani also strenuously denies reports in some Syrian media that troops are advancing on Damascus, describing them as "completely false" and "fake news".

    For context: The Golan Heights is a rocky plateau in south-west Syria, extending towards north-east Israel.

    Israel seized the Golan from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed it in 1981. The move was not recognised internationally, although the US did so unilaterally in 2019.

    Following Bashar al-Assad's regime being toppled, Israel moved in to the buffer zone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria had "collapsed" with the rebel takeover of the country.

  5. Latakia's Alawite residents support fall of regime, says local journalistpublished at 13:20 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    An aerial photo shows Syrian naval ships destroyed during an overnight Israeli attack on Latakia on 10 DecemberImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    An aerial photo shows Syrian naval ships destroyed during an overnight Israeli attack on Latakia on 10 December

    Our colleagues at the BBC World Service's Newsday programme have spoken to a journalist named Haidar Mustafa, who lives in the Syrian port city of Latakia - an area where residents are predominantly members of the minority Alawite religious sect.

    Mustafa says that although many people had expected that there would be "chaos between residents and the revolutionaries" after the fall of the Assad regime, life in Latakia is gradually returning to normal.

    He says the city has been subjected to a series of Israeli raids in the last few days, which "continues to cause panic".

    Latakia is ousted President Bashar al-Assad's hometown - and up until now, had been the stronghold of his regime.

    However, reports suggest that people living in Latakia are largely supporting the Islamist rebels who toppled Assad's government.

    "The situation in Latakia is very good right now. There's no fighting, and there's support for the revolutionaries. People are supporting the fall of the regime, they were used very badly by the regime," Mustafa says, adding that many Alawites in the villages near Latakia have been living poverty.

  6. Singing, chanting and climbing a tank in celebrationpublished at 12:58 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Barbara Plett Usher
    Reporting from Damascus

    We're back in Ummayad Square in Damascus - for people here it feels like Liberation Day part three.

    When we arrived, the square was full of fighters shooting into the air. Now there are people singing, chanting, and clambering over a tank.

    The roundabout is packed with traffic, and on our way in we saw a few shops and cafes open.

    We've just been approached by an Islamic sheikh. He says that Syrians will not look backwards, that there shouldn't be any revenge, and that Syria should be a country for all its people - regardless of religion or ethnicity.

  7. Mohammed al-Bashir appointed interim PMpublished at 12:47 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    The rebel leader who helped topple Bashar al-Assad's regime has been appointed as Syria's interim prime minister, local media reports.

    In a televised address, Mohammed al-Bashir announces he is set to stay in post until 1 March, to lead the transition government.

    Al-Bashir, who has been running the Idlib province, is set to lead a small cabinet to ensure public services can resume. It comes as some government agencies in the country have asked civil servants and health workers to resume duties.

    As reported by the National, an Abu Dhabi-based newspaper, al-Bashir governed parts of north-western (namely Idlib) Syria as part of the Syrian Salvation Government, which is a group linked to Hayat Tahrir-al Shams (HTS).

    Earlier, the UN's special envoy for Syria said it was important that all groups in Syria worked together. But Geir Pedersen added: "By and large we have seen reassuring statements from the HTS and the different armed groups". Although, Pedersen went on to say there remain "some issues of law and order".

  8. On the road to Damascuspublished at 12:23 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Alice Cuddy
    Reporting from Damascus

    People sit near the border crossing, surrounded by rubble

    The border crossing between Lebanon and Syria was full of people this morning heading in both directions.

    Cars there were loaded with goods, and people travelling on foot pulled suitcases and carried stacks of blankets and bottles of petrol.

    On the road to Damascus, we passed checkpoints manned by armed men who smiled as they waved us through.

    At one point, a convoy of rebel vehicles rushed past, with men waving guns out of the windows. A large duty free shop not far from the border had been completely looted. The ground outside was littered with empty boxes and smashed bottles.

    There were bullet casings on the ground. We also passed wrecked military vehicles on the sides of the road. Posters and banners of Bashar al-Assad could still be seen along the road, some torn and destroyed.

    Arriving in Damascus, the streets felt quiet. A curfew has been introduced by rebels from 16:00 to 05:00 local time (13:00 to 02:00 GMT).

    Rubbish strewn on the steps up to a duty free shop
  9. Many Syrians in Turkey say 'it's time for us to leave'published at 11:57 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Fundanur Öztürk
    BBC Turkish, reporting from Ankara

    A Syrian woman in Ankara celebrates in the street, waving the new Syrian flagImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A Syrian woman in Ankara celebrates in the street, waving the new Syrian flag

    Thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets whistling, dancing, singing, and chanting.

    In Ankara, where almost 90,000 Syrian refugees currently live, we’ve seen unprecedented enthusiasm for the latest developments in the region.

    Everyone we speak to in the Turkish capital, including women, children, and elderly people, say the same things: “It’s time for us to leave.”

    Turkey is hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees who fled the country after the 2011 uprising and consequent civil war. Over three million currently reside in Turkey with a temporary protection status.

    The fate of these refugees has been one of the most debated topics in Turkey in recent years.

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that “voluntary, safe, dignified, and orderly” returns to Syria would increase as the situation in the country stabilises.

    Experts that we have spoken to say it will be necessary to understand how any new Syrian administration plans to govern before any mass return scheme can be discussed.

    Prof Dr Murat Erdogan, who is the founder and former director of the Hacettepe University Migration and Politics Research Centre, thinks there will be some movement, but says “I don’t expect millions of people to leave at one”.

    “There are still risks in Syria, both in terms of security and daily life. An internationally recognised government needs to take office in Damascus. Returns must be safe, voluntary, and dignified,” he says.

  10. 'We want to go home - but it's not safe yet' - Syrian living in Istanbulpublished at 11:46 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Gabriela Pomeroy
    Live reporter

    Israa Awad is a Syrian refugee living in Istanbul who wants to return homeImage source, Israa Awad
    Image caption,

    Israa Awad is a Syrian refugee living in Istanbul who wants to return home

    I've been speaking with Israa Awad, a 30-year-old civil engineering student and mother who lives in Istanbul as a Syrian refugee. She tells me she wants to go home to Syria - but she's not sure its safe yet.

    "We want to return to our home in Latakia, but people have advised us to wait a bit longer until things settle down," she says.

    Awad fled Syria in 2012, after her father was tipped off that he would be arrested because the family had participated in opposition protests.

    She says she is optimistic about the plans of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group which looks like it will be the new rulers of Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government to rebel forces just days ago.

    "A lot people dismiss (HTS) as Islamist," she says, referring to the conservative religious political movement.

    "But we think they are pragmatic. I don't like them 100 percent, but in the end they achieved great things for us" in toppling Assad.

    "We want to go home and rebuild our country," she says.

  11. Syrian refugee says UK's pause on asylum decisions 'disappointing'published at 11:23 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Neha Gohil
    Live reporter

    Jad Baghdadi, PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, smiles at the camera on a balcony wearing a black t-shirt and white scarf.Image source, Jad Baghdadi

    I've just been speaking to Jad Baghdadi, 26, a Syrian refugee in the UK and PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, who described the UK's pause on asylum decisions as "disappointing".

    Baghdadi says: "The [UK] government has not dealt with any civil society or the new [Syrian] government on the ground to know whether there is a path for Syrians to go back to Syria, so how can it make such decisions?”

    Baghdadi mentions he knows Syrians currently waiting for an outcome to their asylum application in the UK who have been left “fearful”.

    Reacting to the fall of Assad in Syria, Baghdadi describes the developments as “surreal”, prompting a mixture of hope and worry.

    “We are cautious of what is to come but still very happy for this historic moment," he says.

  12. UN official says 16 million people in Syria urgently need aidpublished at 11:02 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    People receive food baskets provided by the WFP at a camp of Internally Displaced People (IDP) at Ma'arrat Misrin, Idlib, northwest Syria, 14 October 2024Image source, EPA

    The UN Refugee Agency's representative for Syria says 16 million people in the country urgently need humanitarian aid.

    Gonzalo Vargas Llosa tells the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme that 800,000 Syrians have been displaced due to the latest fighting in the region.

    Before this, seven million Syrians were displaced internally, and more than five million fled to neighbouring countries and beyond.

    "There’s a situation of huge humanitarian need, and huge forced displacement," he says.

    Llosa mentions that the UNHCR's humanitarian operations in affected areas like Homs, Hama, and Damascus are slowly resuming.

    "Every space that becomes secure we immediately move into with our partners to try to fill that humanitarian void," he adds.

  13. In pictures: air strikes leave burnt-out vehicles near airportpublished at 10:46 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    We've managed to get a closer look at the impact of air strikes on Syrian territory last night.

    One attack caused extensive damage around the Qamishli International Airport area in the northeast of the country, where mortar shells still litter the ground amid burnt-out trucks.

    Israel has justified their air strikes by arguing that it targeted military locations to prevent weapons from reaching extremists.

    From the reports we've seen so far, the strikes do not appear to have hit any residential areas.

    A burnt out truck near Qamishli International AirportImage source, Reuters
    Mortars lie on the ground, near Qamishli International AirportImage source, Reuters
    People gather around the damage by a burnt-out truck near Qamishli International AirportImage source, Reuters
  14. Analysis

    Torture on an industrial scalepublished at 10:36 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Frank Gardner
    Security correspondent

    Bashar al-Assad presided over a regime that tortured its opponents, and countless other innocents, on an industrial scale.

    Sednaya prison, dubbed "the slaughterhouse", may have been the most infamous of all Syria’s jails, but there was also an extensive, nationwide system of detention, interrogation and gratuitous punishment.

    Every branch of the security apparatus - military intelligence, air force intelligence, political intelligence and so on - had its own dungeons where people simply disappeared.

    Testimonies from survivors and human rights groups show that inmates would be forced to swear that "Bashar was their god". People arrested on the slightest of pretexts would be forced to sign confessions for crimes they didn’t commit. Some had their relatives tortured and raped in front of them until they revealed names of anyone suspected of opposing the regime.

    Holding those accountable is likely to be a long and painful process as Syria attempts to heal the wounds of half a century of dictatorship.

  15. Writer who served time in Saydnaya prison describes 'horrible place'published at 10:24 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    This aerial photo shows people gathering at the Saydnaya prison in Damascus on December 9, 2024.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Saydnaya prison in Damascus

    Returning to Damascus, our colleagues at the BBC World Service Newsday programme have spoken this morning to writer Jaber Baker, who was held in the Saydnaya prison more than 20 years ago.

    Baker, who now lives in France, explains that he was arrested as a student in 2002, and spent two years in Saydnaya, which he describes a "horrible place".

    The co-author of the book "Syrian Gulag: Inside Assad's Prison System" focuses on studying the country's prison system.

    Following the 2011 uprising against leader Bashar al-Assad, thousands of people were arrested and reported to have been tortured at the prison, according to human rights groups.

    Families of inmates and missing Syrians have gathered at the site in recent days, looking for clues about the fates of loved ones who may have been held there.

  16. Kurdish Syrian forces allowed to withdraw from Manbij - reportspublished at 10:14 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Turkish backed Syrian National Army soldiers celebrate victory in ManbijImage source, Getty Images

    As the UN special envoy to Syria has mentioned, there are still ongoing clashes in northeast Syria between Turkish-backed forces and the Kurdish-led group Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

    In the Syrian city of Manbij, where a major clash has been taking place over the last few days, there are now reports that the SDF are being allowed to withdraw safely.

    Citing a Syrian opposition source, Reuters news agency reports that the United States and Turkey has reached an agreement to ensure SDF's safe withdrawal.

    Speaking in Ankara earlier, the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Manbij had been freed of what he described as "terrorists."

    SDF was a key ally in a US-led global coalition that worked to drive Islamic State group militants out of Syria between 2015 and 2019.

    Map showing who controls Syria
  17. Israeli strikes 'needs to stop', says UN envoy to Syriapublished at 10:00 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Syria stands behind a podium and in front of a large backdrop image of the UN logoImage source, Getty Images

    More now on Israeli air strikes on Syrian territory.

    The UN special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, has called the strikes "a very troubling development".

    "We are continuing to see Israeli movements and bombardments in Syrian territory, this needs to stop," he says.

    He also emphasises that the conflict in Syria is not over, pointing to continued clashes in the northeast between the Syrian National Army, backed by Turkey, and the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces.

    The envoy highlights three key messages:

    • The protection of civilians in line with international humanitarian law
    • De-escalation concerning the conflict in the northeast and a call for Israeli strikes to cease
    • The need for "credible and transitional arrangements" in Damascus that represent the "broadest possible spectrum of Syrian society and parties"
  18. No residential damage from Israeli strikes on Damascuspublished at 09:50 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    Yogita Limaye
    Reporting from Damascus

    Cars on a road in Damascus

    After a sleepless night rocked by massive explosions - Israeli air strikes - Damascus has woken up to the third day since its president fled the country.

    After two days of a near shutdown, life appears to be slowly returning to normal. There are many cars and people out on the streets. We’ve seen some shops and restaurants open. Fruit and vegetable vendors are back on the streets in some areas.

    At the central Umayyad Square, which had become a gathering point of sorts for thousands of people wanting to celebrate, there are fewer people today, and we saw some people trying to clean the roads around the square, sweeping away spent bullets that littered the ground.

    From the reports we have seen so far, the air strikes do not appear to have hit any residential areas and were targeted at military infrastructure.

    We visited two sites, and we could see plumes of smoke rising as we approached. However, the locations are being guarded by men from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and we were not allowed inside.

    People walk about and cars block the roads in Damascus
    Image caption,

    Normality is resuming in Damascus following the fall of Bashar al-Assad

  19. 'Brings back memories of Iraq in 2003', says former adviser to US forcespublished at 09:45 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    British diplomat Emma Sky, who advised the commanding general of US forces in Iraq from 2007 to 2010, says the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and the jubilation on the streets in Syria remind her of the scenes from Iraq in 2003.

    Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Sky says: "It brings back memories of Iraq from 2003, when there was such hope and optimism that the fall of Saddam (Hussein) would bring about a better future."

    Some observers have voiced concerns that the fall of Assad could lead to scenes of chaos and conflict similar to those that followed the fall of leaders in Iraq and Libya in recent decades.

    When asked about the UK's and US's potential role in preventing a similar situation from emerging in Syria, Sky says it is important for "Western interests" that Syria does not become a "sanctuary" for the Islamic State group, and that the country does not become part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" coalition.

  20. A morning recappublished at 09:35 Greenwich Mean Time 10 December 2024

    People pose for photos on an abandoned tank at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 10, 2024Image source, Getty Images

    It's just past midday in Damascus, and Syrians are now in their second full day since the fall of the Assad regime.

    Here's the latest from the country:

    • The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) announced that senior Assad regime officials involved in torture will be named, with rewards offered for information on officers involved in "war crimes"
    • Rebel fighters have reported discovering 40 bodies in a hospital morgue showing "signs of torture"
    • Rescue workers have concluded their search for detainees in secret cells at the Saydnaya military prison.
    • A war monitor has noted over 300 Israeli air strikes on Syrian territory since Sunday, targeting weapons and ammunition depots. Israel says these strikes aim to stop weapons from reaching extremists
    • A source quoted by Reuters said that Israeli forces were advancing towards Damascus, but an Israeli military official has denied these claims, saying their military personnel remain within the buffer zone