Russia 'surprised' at overthrowing of Assad regime - as Israel launches strikes on Syria

Syrian prime minister says government still functioning - ready to meet rebel leader

Syria's prime minister says the government is coordinating with the insurgents and that he is ready to meet their leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Mohammed Ghazi Jalali, who remained in his post after Assad and most of his top officials vanished over the weekend, said most cabinet ministers are still working from offices in Damascus.

"We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth," he told Sky News Arabia TV.

He said the security situation had already improved from the day before.

Analysis: Syrians are optimistic for a new dawn, but fear remains over further violence

There is both celebration and trepidation in Syria following the toppling of the Assad regime, says international correspondent Alex Rossi.

Syrians are hoping the end of the Assad family's half-century rule will signal a new dawn for the country.

"Syria feels like a country held in suspension," says Rossi.

"On the face of it, nothing has changed – ordinary life continues. There are cars and goods lorries on the roads. People are going to the market to do their shopping and others continue their work if they have it.

"But scratch beneath the surface and it is hard to overestimate just how momentous the last few days have been for this country. Many here are struggling to comprehend what it all means and what the future will hold."

He says people are "optimistic" about what comes next, but also nervous.

Rossi is reporting from the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian region of Rojava, where he says there have already been clashes on the Turkish border.

And already there have been some clashes around on the Turkish border in Manbij between Syrian Democratic Forces and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army.

"The fear is that there will be further violence," he says. "That's not to say that definitely will happen at all, but there is that trepidation. 

"There are obviously lots of different kinds of tapestry of militia groups across the country. The fear is that that transference of power will not be peaceful."

Rossi says there isn't much of a sign of that happening at the moment, despite the "sporadic clashes" he describes.

"Here, the Turks are extremely worried from their point of view of having Kurds lodged on their border. They don't see this as a force for good. They see many of the Kurds as aligned with the PKK, a designated terrorist group inside Turkey. 

"So there could be some of this regional power play going on at the same time. But the hope really is that we will see a peaceful transfer of power and Syria will look towards a better future."

Syrians wait to return home over Turkish border

Millions of Syrian who fled the Assad regime are expected to return to the country after rebels overthrew the government.

The leader of the rebels, commander Hasan Abdul Ghani, has encouraged them to come home, posting on X: "To the displaced all over the world, free Syria awaits you."

In southern Turkey, at the Oncupinar border gate, near the town of Kilis, Syrian families are lining up to cross back into their home country.

Russia grants asylum to Assad - as Moscow says his overthrowing is a 'surpise'

The Kremlin says Russia has given political asylum to former Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

It was Vladimir Putin's decision, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

The Kremlin had "nothing to say about Assad's whereabouts", he added.

Asked whether Russia was surprised by the events unfolding in Syria, Peskov said: "What happened in general surprised the whole world. In this case, we are no exception."

As for Russia's military bases in Syria, he said it was too early to say what the future would hold and they will be the subject of discussions with those in power.

The Assad regime hosted Moscow's Hmeimim airbase in Syria's Latakia province and a naval facility at Tartous.

Turkish-backed Syrian groups wrest control of city from US-backed forces

Turkish-backed Syrian groups have wrested control of a northern Syrian town from the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Turkish security source has told Reuters.

Manbij, a city in eastern Aleppo province, has been the scene of intense fighting in recent days between the Syrian National Army, supported by Turkey, and the SDF.

Both capitalised on the fall of Assad's regime to expand their territory, having already controlled different areas of northern Syria.

For context: The Syrian Democratic Forces was formed by an alliance between the Kurdish-led Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and other groups, backed by the US, to fight Islamic State in 2014.

The YPG had already been in control of large areas of northeast Syria since 2012.

Turkey sees the YPG as inseparable from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey.

Turkey sent troops into Syria from 2016 to push Kurdish groups and Islamic State away from its borders

It eventually formed some of the groups into the Syrian National Army which, backed by direct Turkish military power, held a stretch of territory along the Syrian-Turkish border.

Analysis: Fall of Assad could be very damaging for Putin

The fall of the Assad regime is "embarrassing" and "potentially very damaging" for Putin, says Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett.

It was a "very important strategic ally", hosting two of Russia's military bases that provide a foothold in the region and Africa. 

While a deal appears to have been struck with the rebels, war bloggers suggest the situation on the ground is still tense.

"A lot remains at stake for Russia here, while for Assad and his family, a life in the Russian capital awaits, it seems."

Despite reports, there is still no concrete evidence that Bashar al Assad is in Moscow - but an update is expected from the Kremlin soon.

It is safe to assume the reports are accurate, as they come from Russian state media citing a Kremlin source.

"The expectation is that he [Assad] would have come here had he managed to get out of Syria safely because Russia has been a strong supporter of the Assad regime."

Russia threatens harsh response to any attacks on its Syrian bases

A senior Russian politician has threatened a harsh response if its bases in Syria are attacked, Interfax news agency reports.

The same source said the security of the bases was fully ensured.

Moscow - a staunch backer of the Assad regime - has the strategically important Hmeimim airbase in Syria's Latakia province and a naval facility at Tartous.

Sources told Russian media the Kremlin had struck a deal with Syria's rebel leaders to guarantee the safety of its bases.

But 'Rybar', a Russian war blogger close to the country's defence ministry, said: "Russia's military presence in the Middle East region hangs by a thread.

"What anyone decided in high offices is absolutely irrelevant on the ground."

Russian warships have left Tartous and taken up positions at sea for security reasons, Rybar added.

The account - which has more than 1.3 million followers on Telegram - also said the Hmeimim airbase had effectively been cut off after rebels took control of a nearby town.

Rybar's claims have not been verified.

Syrian rebel flag flies over embassy in Moscow

The three-starred flag of the Syrian rebel group has been raised over the Syrian embassy in Moscow.

The Syrian flag was removed yesterday, having been raised outside the embassy earlier in the day, the Reuters news agency reported.

Bashar al-Assad was in Moscow with his family after rebel fighters raced into Damascus unopposed over the weekend.

Prisoners freed from Syria's 'human slaughterhouse' - as teams investigate 'hidden underground cells'

Thousands of people, including women and children, have been released from Syria's infamous prisons - as civil defence teams work on freeing those who may still be detained in hidden underground cells. 

After insurgents swept across the country in little more than a week to topple the Assad family's half-century rule, families wept as they reunited with inmates held on political charges.

At Sednaya prison near Damascus - a facility dubbed the "human slaughterhouse" by Amnesty International - women screamed with their children as their cells were opened.

"Don't be afraid… Bashar Assad has fallen," one of the rebels told them as he tried to rush streams of women out of Sednaya prison.

As they left their cells a toddler could be seen walking down the corridor, having apparently been held with his mother.

Tens of thousands of detainees have so far been freed from Syria's prisons, according to Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

-SKY NEWS