Germany’s foreign minister is warning anyone involved in atrocities for the ousted Syrian government against seeking refuge in her country, saying they would face “the full force of the law.” Germany has been a major destination for Syrian refugees over the past decade, and several hundred thousand Syrian nationals live there. In rulings since 2021, former Syrian secret police officers already have been convicted in Germany for overseeing or facilitating the abuse of detainees. “To any of (former President Bashar) Assad’s torturers who might be considering fleeing to Germany now, I can only say clearly: We will bring all the regime’s henchmen to account for their terrible crimes with the full force of the law,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Sunday’s edition of the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. South Korea's opposition chief urges swift action from top court on impeachment Baerbock called for international security authorities and intelligence services to work closely together. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said Germany is “extremely vigilant” and pointed to border checks that the country already has put in place on its frontiers as it tries to reduce irregular migration. She told Bild am Sonntag that “no one who participated in atrocities is safe from prosecution here.” She said the convictions already handed down show that Germany pursues such crimes rigorously and should act as a deterrent against people involved in them going there. More broadly, German officials have stressed that many well-integrated arrivals of recent years will be welcome to stay after the removal of Assad. That was followed by some talk of Syrians going home, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged in a video released Friday “deeply unsettled” them. “Anyone who is working here, who is well integrated, is and remains welcome in Germany,” he said. “That goes without saying.” “Some of the refugees hope they can soon return to their homeland. We will support that as soon as the situation allows," he added. But “only the coming days, weeks and months will show what direction Syria takes after Assad.”

Thousands of Syrians gathered in Damascus on Friday for the first Muslim Friday prayers since the ousting of President Bashar Assad, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s dramatic political shift. The scene unfolded at the Umayyad Mosque, one of the world’s oldest and a powerful symbol of Syria’s heritage. Large crowds also filled the capital’s main square, celebrating the fall of the Assad regime after insurgents seized the city last Sunday, ending nearly five decades of authoritarian rule. The gatherings were a major display of both jubilation and hope, coming almost a week after a surprise insurgent offensive ousted Assad's government. It also coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic mission in the region to guide Syria’s political transition, urging the formation of an "inclusive and non-sectarian" interim government. The key insurgent group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has been working to establish security and start political reforms in the wake of Assad’s sudden fall. The group’s leadership, which had previously been associated with extremist views, has vowed to break from its past and promote a more inclusive government. However, HTS remains labeled a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammed al-Golani) addressed the nation in a video message on Friday, celebrating the “victory of the blessed revolution” and urging Syrians to celebrate peacefully without resorting to violence. He promised that the insurgents would work to build a new Syria, united under a government that includes all citizens. The Friday prayers at the Umayyad Mosque were a highly symbolic occasion. The mosque, which has been a center of worship and power for over 1,200 years, was once tightly controlled under Assad’s regime, with sermons strictly censored. In the early days of the uprising in 2011, it was here that many anti-regime protests began after Friday prayers, which were met with violent crackdowns. Read: Syria struggles; Gaza nears famine, WFP warns One worshipper, Ibrahim al-Araby, expressed his joy at being able to attend the prayers after more than a decade of restrictions. "Since 2011, I haven’t been this happy," he said, reflecting on the newfound sense of freedom under the new government. However, others like Khair Taha expressed mixed emotions, balancing hope for the future with uncertainty over the country's transition. In Umayyad Square, the city’s largest roundabout, thousands of Syrians continued the celebrations, chanting slogans like "Unified Syria to build Syria." Some protesters, emboldened by the regime's collapse, even shouted insults at the late President Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar, something unthinkable under the previous regime. Khaled Abu Chahine, a 51-year-old from Daraa, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising, shared his hope for a new Syria: "I hope for freedom and coexistence between all Syrians—Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites, and Druze." The Friday’s prayers and celebrations were part of a broader shift in Syria, with the country now under the control of HTS, a group long based in the opposition-controlled enclave of Idlib. The group has promised to build a government free of corruption, similar to the one in Idlib, which many in the capital saw as a positive step. The Syrian insurgents face several challenges, including the need to win international recognition for their new government and to ease fears from minority communities about the group’s future direction. Key regional players like Turkey and the U.S. are closely monitoring developments, with Blinken advocating for a transition that guarantees minority rights and regional stability. Read more: US keen to support Syrian leaders on conditions In the midst of this, the U.S. continues to have troops in eastern Syria, focusing on defeating remnants of ISIS, while Israel carries out airstrikes in the country, reportedly targeting weapon shipments to extremist groups. With Syria’s future still uncertain, global powers are keen to shape the country’s post-Assad era, aiming to ensure that extremist groups do not regain control and that stability is restored in the war-torn nation.

In a stunning turn of events, Syria’s armed opposition has announced that it has captured the capital, Damascus, declaring the city “free of tyrant al-Assad.” President Bashar al-Assad is reported to have fled the country amidst the offensive. The declaration was made by Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who stated that state institutions would remain under the oversight of al-Assad’s prime minister until they are officially handed over.  The announcement follows a swift and coordinated campaign by opposition forces that saw them seizing control of multiple cities in a matter of hours. “This is a historic day for Syria,” said al-Julani in a televised address. “The era of dictatorship and tyranny is over. We urge all Syrians to unite as we pave the way for a new chapter in our nation’s history.” The rapid developments have prompted an urgent response from the international community. In a joint statement, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkiye, and Russia described the situation as a “dangerous development” and emphasised the need for a political solution to prevent further destabilisation. The offensive marks a significant escalation in Syria’s ongoing conflict, which has spanned over a decade and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Analysts are watching closely to see how the new power dynamics will reshape the region, with concerns over potential retaliations or a deeper fragmentation of the country. Syrian President Assad flees country amid rebel advance: reports As of now, the whereabouts of Bashar al-Assad remain unknown. His sudden departure raises questions about the future of his supporters and the possibility of a negotiated settlement. Meanwhile, ordinary Syrians in Damascus and across the country await clarity on what this upheaval will mean for their war-torn nation. The international community has called for calm, urging all parties to prioritise dialogue and reconciliation over further violence. Source: With inputs from wirers  

A convoy of 11 trucks from a United Nations agency crossed into northern Syria from Turkey on Tuesday, just hours after the U.N. and Syrian government reached an agreement to temporarily authorize two new border crossings into the rebel enclave, devastated by the region's deadly earthquake. Syrian officials in Damascus said the decision, seven days after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed thousands, shows their commitment to supporting victims on both sides of the front line. The increased flow of help was desperately needed. But some critics say the deal is also a political victory for embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, who permitted the U.N. to open new crossings and gave the impression that he ultimately called the shots on territory under opposition forces. The U.N. is normally authorized to deliver aid from Turkey to northwest Syria — an area already devastated by 12 years of conflict — through only one border crossing, Bab al-Hawa. Renewing that authorization is a regular battle at the Security Council, where Assad’s ally, Russia, has advocated for all aid to be routed through Damascus. The delay in opening new crossings stalled immediate relief and search and rescue efforts when the “time for effective search and rescue is tragically running out,” the International Rescue Committee said in statement. Asked why it took so long to increase aid access to the northwest, Syria’s U.N. ambassador Bassam Sabbagh told reporters, “Why are you asking me? We don’t control these borders.” The move by Damascus to open additional border crossings a week after the quake was more political than humanitarian, said Joseph Daher, a Swiss-Syrian researcher and professor at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. “It’s a way for the regime to reaffirm its sovereignty, its centrality, and to instrumentalize this tragedy for its own political purposes,” he said. Before the deal with Damascus, advocates had been pushing for the Security Council to vote to permanently open more border crossings to aid deliveries — a move almost certain to be vetoed by Russia. Others argue that no Security Council resolution is needed for the U.N. to send aid across borders in an emergency. Daher pointed out that the U.N. had airdropped aid into the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor when it was besieged by Islamic State militants. Russia's foreign ministry Tuesday issued a statement condemning attempts to “push through” a permanent expansion of the authorized crossings. It said Western nations “continue to strangle" Syria with sanctions that it said have caused a fuel crisis and "prohibited the import of vital goods and equipment.” The United States, United Kingdom and European Union have imposed sanctions on Assad and oppose funneling aid to the northwest through his government, believing it would divert aid to its supporters. A State Department spokesperson told the AP Tuesday that Washington will push for a U.N. resolution authorizing additional crossings as soon as possible. The U.S. last week issued a license to allow earthquake-related relief to bypass sanctions. Read more: Rising toll makes quake deadliest in Turkey's modern history The U.K. welcomed the temporary opening of new crossings, but said “sufficient access needs to be secured in the longer term.” When the earthquake hit, the U.N. could not immediately access Bab al-Hawa because of infrastructure damage, leaving the shattered enclave without significant aid for 72 hours. Northwest Syria’s civil defense organization, the White Helmets, said the delay in aid and the U.N.’s failure to take unorthodox measures those first few days cost lives, as they struggled with limited equipment and manpower to rescue thousands of people trapped under the rubble. The U.N. tried to send a delivery of aid to rebel-held Idlib through government-held territory on Sunday, but the shipment was halted after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the al-Qaida-linked organization that controls the area, refused to accept aid coming from Assad-controlled areas. That standoff was “good politically ... for both sides,” Daher said, allowing the rebels “to say, ‘I’m not collaborating with the regime’ and for the regime to say, ’Look, we tried to send assistance.” Meanwhile, cargo planes loaded with aid have reached government-held territory, including from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt — countries that once shunned Assad and have slowly been reviving ties in recent years. Agreeing to the temporary additional crossings is to Assad’s political advantage,says Charles Lister, Director of the Syria program at Washington-based think thank Middle East Institute. The decision "goes against everything that the regime has publicly stood by for the past 10-plus years when it comes to cross border aid delivery,” Lister said, referring to Syria and Russia’s attempts at ending the U.N. cross-border aid mechanism. But with the deal, the Syrian government "knows it has proved to the world that the United Nations is unwilling to do anything in Syria without the regime’s permission.” Saria Akkad, partnerships and advocacy manager with the Ataa Humanitarian Relief Association, which works in Turkey and northwest Syria, said that Syrians like him now feel that their advocacy to the U.N. was pointless. “We should maybe go back to Assad, we should discuss with the person who killed his people, how he can support the people in northwest Syria," he said. Lister said the current crisis has allowed Assad to “bait the international community into normalization", though he doesn't expect a total end of his political isolation without major shifts form Washington and London. Syrian officials have urged the U.N. to fund reconstruction, and Lister believes that this, in addition to the lifting of Western sanctions, is what Damascus hopes to get. The temporary authorization ends in three months, around the time negotiations take place before the U.N. Security Council meets in July to review the cross-border resolution. Lister believes that Assad’s agreement with the U.N. could allow him to ask for more in return in exchange for allowing the resolution to continue without a Russian veto. “I think what we frankly saw yesterday was the U.N. politicizing aid delivery by going to the regime to secure access to a border crossing they don’t have control over,” he said. “It put all its eggs into the regime’s basket.”

The lines stretch for miles outside gas stations in Syrian cities, with an average wait of five hours to fill up a tank. At bakeries, people push and shove during long, chaotic waits for their turn to collect the quota of two bread packs a day per family.