Syrian Regime Collapses As President Assad Flees Damascus, Under Rebel Offensive

Keneci Network | @kenecifeed

[Update]  US Airstrikes Target ISIS Across Syria, As Assad's Regime Collapses

A barrage of US military airstrikes hit ISIS targets in Syria, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). This comes hours after Syrian rebel forces' offensive forced President Bashar al-Assad to flee Damascus.

CENTCOM) posted on X Sunday, that "over 75 targets" were struck in the centre of the country "using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s".

"Battle damage assessments are underway, and there are no indications of civilian casualties," the statement said.

CENTCOM explained that "the strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS, to prevent the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria." The statement added: "CENTCOM, together with allies and partners in the region, will continue to carry out operations to degrade ISIS operational capabilities even during this dynamic period in Syria.

"There should be no doubt - we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, "All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way."

Responding to the fall of Assad, the US President Joe Biden said "at long last the Assad regime has fallen." Speaking at the White House, he called the decline of the despot “fundamental act of justice” but was also wary that the rebel advance marked a “moment of risk and uncertainty.”

Meanwhile Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and been granted asylum "out of humanitarian considerations," Russia state TV reported Sunday.

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[Update]  Israeli Ground Forces Enter Syria, As Assad Flees To Russia

Israeli ground forces have crossed into Syrian territory for the first time since the 1973 October War, amid a successful push by rebel groups in Syria to drive President Bashar al-Assad out of power.

According to Israeli officials, the deployment came as rebel groups in Syria made significant gains, capturing key cities such as Hama and Aleppo. The Israel Defense Force(IDF) has taken control of the mountain summit of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, as well as several other locations deemed essential for stabilizing control of the area.

The IDF has also been assisting UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights in repelling an attack “by armed individuals,” while the foreign minister said “armed forces” had entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone.

Israeli tanks have also crossed the border fence in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, with the Israeli regime’s military announcing the beginning of its land invasion of southern Syria.

The development marks a significant shift in policy as the first overt entry of Israeli military forces into Syrian territory since the 1974 cease-fire agreement that officially ended the last war between Israel and Syria.

Meanwhile Russian state TV reported Sunday, that Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and been granted asylum "out of humanitarian considerations."

Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry had announced that Assad "decided to resign the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power."

Russia, which has two key military bases in Syria, is a staunch ally of Assad and had intervened in Syria's 13-year civil war in an effort to keep him in power.

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