I have yet to fully understand how this could happened at the speed it did happen:
Syrian government falls in stunning end to 50-year rule of Assad family – AP, Dec 8 2024
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad has been overthrown and all detainees in jails have been set free.
…
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government.“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
He did not address reports that Assad had fled.
During and after its fight against takfiri terrorists Syria had come under heavy sanctions. Its main assets in the east were under U.S. control. Israel's airforce was bombing its military infrastructure at will. It was ripe to fall.
As soon as the bogus ceasefire in Lebanon was signed Turkey unleashed its takfiri 'Syrian rebels', many of them foreigners, against Syria. These were exceptionally well armed and trained. They have (vid) night vision equipment, drones, artillery, Starlink communication and a capable, professional command.
The Syrian Arab army proved to be unreliable. Some units just vanished. Others were ordered to retreat in haste even before coming under pressure. One wonders how much of its command level has been infiltrated or bribed.
Throughout the last months Syria's allies, Iran and Russia, had sought to negotiate a compromise between the opposition and the Assad government. In the end they were unable to overcome the stubbornness of Bashar Assad. They perceived that they were being drawn into a trap and rejected to fall for it.
Syria is now likely to fall apart. There will be many bloody acts retributions. A large number of people will seek refuge.
The 'axis of resistance' has lost its main connecting rod. Logistics between Iran and Lebanon will become very difficult.
Resistance however will continue.
A few tweets that caught my eyes:
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump – 23:17 UTC · Sep 5, 2013
The terrorists in Syria are calling themselves REBELS and getting away with it because our leaders are so completely stupid!
Mark Sleboda @MarkSleboda1 – 4:27 UTC · Dec 8, 2024
RIP Syria. My God so fast. Western/Turkish intel co-opted/bought/blackmailed essentially the entire Syrian military & admin into just standing down, and the economy was so hallowed out by sanctions and occupation of Syria's oil and wheat that the state was incapable of resisting.
asad abukhalil أسعد أبو خليل @asadabukhalil – 17:42 UTC · Dec 7, 2024
Ibrahim Amin of Al-Akhbar wrote a few days ago that Russia had warned Bashshar Al-Asad that the axis is collapsing and urged him to reconcile with Moscow-approved Syrian opposition. He refused. Erdogan tried to reconcile with him and he refused. Not sure what he was counting on.
Dan Cohen @dancohen3000 – 2:51 UTC · Dec 8, 2024
There is no Syrian revolution. There is the CIA-run counterrevolution. They sound the same, but are complete opposites.
Syria has lost its sovereignty to competing gangs of Turkish and Israeli-backed jihadist mercenaries who are united in their hate for religious minorities. A dark day for humanity.
Alon Mizrahi @alon_mizrahi – 5:06 UTC · Dec 8, 2024
Bear with me: if the West bet on Russia and Iran turning this into a wide and prolonged bloodfest in which they will be exhausted, softening Iran for a planned fatal blow, it makes a lot of sense for Putin to not swallow the bait, right? And make Syria the West's headache, instead of his? Let the Americans navigate the labyrinth of interests and hostilities in Syria.
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asad abukhalil أسعد أبو خليل @asadabukhalil – 16:17 UTC · Dec 7, 2024
I never have a good word to say about the Syrian regime (and never written or said a word of praise for the regime, since Hafidh Al-Asad days) but: how can we talk about Syria and not talk about Israeli-US plans for the region to destroy state and society in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Libya? No matter how ugly a regime is, US and Israel manage to replace it with something much worse. Look at Libya and Iraq. In Afghanistan, the US established a regime so repugnant that people preferred the Taliban.
Michael Tracey @mtracey – 5:59 UTC · Dec 8, 2024
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which has now seized power in Syria, was declared by the US State Department as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group on May 17, 2018. What's the "over-under" on how much longer that designation remains in place?