Syria ready to build new army, announces Ahmed al-Sharaa; Turkey calls for sanctions to be lifted: Live coverage of Syria

Thank you for following our live coverage of the events in Syria following the ousting of the Assad regime. 

We will resume our coverage tomorrow. 

The Sons of Arqoub and Shebaa Farms Organization released a statement Sunday evening expressing "astonishment" at Walid Joumblatt's recent comments on the Shebaa Farms, which the former PSP leader has repeatedly described as "Syrian territory" in interviews. The organization emphasized that "the borders are already drawn" despite the ongoing "Zionist occupation" of the area.

"We direct Mr. Joumblatt and others to Resolution 1701, which explicitly mentions the Shebaa Farms, reaffirms Resolution 425, and makes no reference to Resolution 242 regarding this territory," the statement said.

Resolution 425, adopted in 1978, called for Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory. Resolution 242, passed in 1967 after the Six-Day War, outlined the inadmissibility of acquiring territory by force. Resolution 1701, adopted after the 2006 war, established a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel.

The organization urged Lebanese leaders "to keep this national issue free from personal calculations."

The visiting head of a UN investigative body for Syria said Sunday it was possible to find "more than enough" evidence to convict people of crimes against international law, but there was an immediate need to secure and preserve it, reported AFP.

"We have the possibility here to find more than enough evidence left behind to convict those we should prosecute," said Robert Petit, who heads the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) set up by the U.N. in 2016 to prepare prosecutions for major international crimes in Syria.

To find out more, press here. 

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said Sunday his administration was working to protect minorities, emphasizing the importance of coexistence in the multi-ethnic, multi-confessional country after his Islamist group ousted Bashar al-Assad, AFP reported.

"We are working on protecting sects and minorities from any attacks that occur between them" and from "external" actors trying to exploit the situation "to cause sectarian discord", Sharaa said during a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, adding that "Syria is a country for all and we can coexist together."

Turkey's foreign minister said after talks with Syria's de facto leader in Damascus today that there was no room for Kurdish YPG militants in Syria's future and that they must disband.

Speaking alongside Syria's new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, Hakan Fidan said that the new administration in Damascus had said it could take the initiative in managing Islamic State prisoners in northeast Syria, a job the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the YPG, were carrying out until now.

Fidan also said that he believed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach to the U.S. presence and partnership with the SDF once he takes office. 

Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, announced that his administration would soon unveil the new structure of the Defense Ministry and the army, Reuters reported.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, al-Sharaa also pledged to prevent the circulation of weapons outside state control.

Syria alone was responsible for overthrowing Bashar al-Assad, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in Damascus on Sunday after meeting the country's new leaders.

"This victory belongs to you and no one else. Thanks to your sacrifices, Syria has seized a historic opportunity," he said. Turkey has repeatedly dismissed claims it had any hand in the lightning 12-day rebel offensive that ended with Assad's overthrow on Dec. 8.

Sanctions on Syria must be lifted "as soon as possible," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told AFP on Sunday at a joint press conference with Syria's new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Damascus.

"The sanctions imposed on the previous regime need to be lifted as soon as possible," Fidan said on a visit to Damascus. "The international community needs to mobilize to help Syria get back on its feet and for the displaced people to return."

Families of detainees held in Roumieh prison staged a protest in Beirut today to demand a general amnesty, according to local media. Many of the demonstrators traveled from Tripoli and northern Lebanon.

Islamists in Lebanon have intensified their calls for a general amnesty following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the rise of a rebel coalition led by Islamist groups.

Druze leader and former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Jumblatt, became the first Lebanese political figure to visit Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on Dec. 8. He met with Ahmad al-Charrah, leader of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

➡️ Read the key moments of this meeting here.

"This meeting is most joyous. Bani Maarouf (the Druze, ed.) are finally at the Syrian People's Palace for the first time, and it is to celebrate the victory against this bloodthirsty criminal and his clan. I paid the price: two of my sons were killed by this criminal," said Sheikh Bou Sanad Badih Rachid from Sweida, speaking to our journalist on the ground in Damascus, Jeanine Jalkh.

"Bashar al-Assad massacred his people, drove them into exile, and introduced the Captagon trade," he added.

 ⚡Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets Syria's new leader Ahmad al-Charrah in Damascus. Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced Sunday that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's new leader, Ahmad al-Charrah, in Damascus. In a video released by the state-run Anadolu Agency, Fidan and al-Charrah are seen greeting each other and embracing.

"Regarding Lebanese Shiites, whether they are opposed or supportive, we speak within the logic of the state, away from political classifications. There is a new chapter with all components of the Lebanese people," Ahmad al-Charrah stated.

"Syria is equidistant from everyone and will respect Lebanon's sovereignty, stability and security. I hope the old Syrian memory will be erased from the minds of the Lebanese," Ahmad al-Charrah said, as quoted by Lebanese media.

"Our battle saved the region from a major regional war and possibly a world war," Ahmad al-Charrah said, as quoted by LBCI. He also claimed that it was the Syrian regime that assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

"We hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations will return to normal through diplomatic channels. We hope that all those who committed crimes against the Lebanese will be held accountable. We hope that fair courts will be established for those who committed crimes against the Syrian people and that certain detention centers will remain as historical museums," Walid Jumblatt said, as quoted by al-Jadeed.

"Crimes committed against the Syrian people are similar to those committed in Gaza and Bosnia-Herzegovina and constitute crimes against humanity," Druze leader Walid Jumblatt also stated, according to al-Jadeed.

"I will submit a memorandum on behalf of the Democratic Gathering regarding Lebanese-Syrian relations," Walid Jumblatt said, as quoted by LBCI.

⚡ The meeting between Walid Jumblatt and Ahmad al-Charrah has just begun, according to local media.

Credit: Nabil Ismail/An-Nahar

Druze leader Walid Joumblatt has arrived at the presidential palace in Damascus, where he is set to meet with Syria’s new leadership, two weeks after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

⚡ Former Progressive Socialist Party Leader Walid Jumblatt arrives at Syrian Presidential Palace with Druze delegation to meet Ahmad al-Charrah, Leader of Islamist Group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, Lebanese Media Report.

MTV, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported that a cargo plane carrying military equipment has landed in Hassake.

Earlier this week, Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt stood out by stating he does not fear an Islamist Government in Damascus, despite HTC's takeover.

➡️ Read or revisit his statements here.

A ruthless and pragmatic master of Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made historical reinterpretation his specialty.

While Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the “Father of the Turks,” sought to propel the country into modernity through sweeping secular reforms and a societal overhaul inspired by Western ideals, Erdogan, the reis, prefers to look to the past.

➡️ Read more in this article by Clara Hage: "Turkey is no longer hiding its neo-imperial ambitions in Syria."

In Syria, the death toll from Turkish drone strikes in the country’s northeast has risen to five civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). This comes a day after two Kurdish journalists were killed in similar circumstances. Initial reports listed three fatalities.

"Two civilians, a woman and a political party member succumbed to their injuries, bringing the number of those killed Saturday by Turkish drone strikes near the town of Tal Brak in Hassakeh province to five," the organization reported.

"The Turkish occupation targeted a vehicle on a road connecting the city of Al-Hawl to Tal Brak with a drone strike, killing three civilians," earlier stated the Kurdish news agency Hawar in Syria.

"This crime is part of a series of blatant violations of international law and human rights that prohibit targeting civilians," the Kurdish Internal Security Forces said in a statement.

SOHR also reported that two more civilians were killed in another Turkish strike in the same area. The UK-based NGO has an extensive network of sources in Syria.

The top news this morning is the announced visit to Syria by Lebanese Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, the former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), now led by his son Taymour.

Joumblatt is expected to meet with Syria’s new leadership, which has taken control following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. This makes him the first Lebanese politician to visit Syria since the regime change, a result of the rebel offensive led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main actor in the ruling coalition.

Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of events in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8.