Ba'athism

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will chair a National Security Governmental Council (KYSEA) meeting Friday to consider suspending asylum applications from Syrian refugees after the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın made a high-profile visit to Damascus on Dec. 12, marking the first official visit by a senior foreign official to the Syrian capital since opposition forces toppled Bashar al-Assad.

Footage broadcast by Turkish television channels showed Kalın leaving the historic Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, surrounded by a security detail.

People shop in a street in Damascus, on Dec. 10, 2024.

As several international organizations perceive a rare chance to pursue justice for the human rights atrocities committed during the rule of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Human Rights Watch has described the moment as "an opportunity to turn the page."

Defense Ministry's press and public relations advisor, Zeki Aktürk.

Defense officials have said Türkiye is taking robust measures against terrorist groups attempting to exploit the situation in Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

People walk at the Hamidiyeh market at the old city of Damascus on Dec. 11, 2024.

Syria's new interim prime minister pledged to protect minority rights as Washington's top diplomat flew to the region on Thursday to urge an "inclusive" transition after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has hailed the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's government as "a victory for humanity."

"Humanity won, compassion won, solidarity won, generosity won," Erdoğan said at an event in Ankara on Dec. 11, following the regime's collapse this weekend.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has confirmed that Bashar al-Assad is currently in Russia, marking the first public acknowledgment of the former Syrian leader's location. Assad was transported to Russia "in the most secure way possible" after a swift offensive by Islamist-led rebel forces led to the fall of Damascus and the collapse of his regime over the weekend.

Syria's new transitional prime minister on Tuesday said it was time for "stability and calm" in the country, two days after longtime president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive.

The rebels appointed Mohammad al-Bashir as the transitional head of government to run the country until March 1, a statement said.

Rebel forces have swept through Syria and forced former President Bashar Assad out of the country where his family had ruled with an iron fist since the early 1970s.

Iran, a staunch supporter of the deposed Syrian president, has repatriated 4,000 of its nationals since rebels seized Damascus and toppled Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, according to the Iranian government.