Syrians begin to return home after Assad regime overthrown
The Head of Human Rights at the United Nations says that President Assad should be brought to justice for suspected war crimes
Syrians who fled the country's regime have begun returning home, as the rebel offensive ended the Assad family's 50-year iron rule.
A source at the Kremlin confirmed the overthrown President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Moscow on Sunday, where they have been granted asylum.
In the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Assad as "a monster, a criminal, a butcher" and described him as the "rat of Damascus fleeing to Moscow with his tail between his legs".
The Home Office announced it had paused decisions on Syrian asylum claims "whilst we asses the current situation", a spokesperson said.
International leaders have now called for a "peaceful transition" of power and a sustainable political solution.
During his visit to the Gulf, Starmer also said the UK will provide £11 million in humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable in Syria.
He said the UK will play a more present and consistent role in the Middle East on defence and deterrents, as he agreed to enhance the defence partnership with Saudi Arabia to promote stability in the region and pave the way for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza.
The prime minister said: “From cutting the cost of living for hardworking British people, to building resilient supply chains or supporting communities in Britain, what happens in the Middle East matters at home."
It comes as Israel said it had struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria.
The country's foreign minister said the strikes were to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.
ITV News International Editor Emma Murphy, who is in Damascus, said there had been "multiple airstrikes in Damascus and beyond" on Monday.
Thousands of Syrians gathered to celebrate in the central squares of Damascus, chanting anti-Assad slogans and honking car horns. In some areas, celebratory gunshots could be heard.
Soldiers and police officers had left their posts and fled, and looters broke into the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence.
There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government, but the country's Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said in a video that the government is ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.
The UK government had been evacuating its citizens over the weekend before the situation reached a crisis point.
On Monday, New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, said: “This was a regime that perpetrated significant human rights abuses, including repeated chemical weapons attacks, against its own people for many years.
“Now we need to see a peaceful transition with civilians protected and UN Security Council resolutions upheld. This is critical for moving towards a sustainable and comprehensive political solution.”
Sunday was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a years-long siege.
US President Joe Biden said the fall of the Assad regime is an act of justice that is allowing Syrians a historic opportunity.
Speaking from the White House on Sunday, he said: “At long last the Assad regime has fallen. This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians.
"The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice. It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country."
Why has this happened?
Rebel forces in Syria launched their largest offensive against the country's government in years in the last week, putting the Assad family's 53-year hold on power under threat.
On November 26, the opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise attack on government-held areas of Aleppo - Syria's second-biggest city - cutting off the main road from Aleppo city to Damascus.
It was considered to be the most significant escalation in the conflict in Syria since March 2020, and Russia and Syria launched airstrikes in response.
By Thursday they had taken Hama in the south, which has never fallen in 13 years of fighting. They then took the city of Homs, which is on route to Syria's capital, Damascus.
Analysts say a combination of geopolitical developments have helped to create the opportunity for President Bashar al-Assad's opponents to strike, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, followed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that started on October 7, 2023.
When did fighting in Syria start?
In 2011 there was a peaceful uprising against President Assad as many people were unhappy about high unemployment, corruption and a lack of political freedom.
But those demonstrations were met with swift opposition from the government, and later escalated into a full-scale civil war which went on to devastate the country.
More than 12 million people fled their homes in response to the fighting, with neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey hosting more than 90% of those who have fled.
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