December 9th, 2024: Assad’s Regime Toppled & Global Reactions Begin
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What historic event occurred in Syria on December 9th, 2024?
A historic day in the Middle East, as the region comes to terms with the fall of one of the world's longest-running family dictatorships. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been toppled by rebel forces. He fled the country shortly before the rebels took over Damascus. Later in the show, governments around the world react to the fall of the Assad regime with a mix of, well, let's call it hope and apprehension. We'll break down the response so far. Plus, Ukrainian President Zelensky reveals the military death toll for Ukraine's forces in the Russian invasion as the U.S. prepares another billion-dollar aid package.
How are global governments reacting to Assad's regime fall?
And in today's Back of the Brief, we'll bring you the latest updates on the hunt for the man who killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO in New York City this past week. But first, today's BDB Spotlight. Five decades of Assad family rule came to a crashing halt over the weekend as rebel forces ousted Bashar al-Assad's regime and forced the despot to flee. His decades-long grip on power is over, bringing an end to the authoritarian dynasty his father began half a century ago and that was responsible for the death and torture over the decades of hundreds of thousands of Syrians. The collapse unfolded rapidly.
What updates are there on Ukraine's military situation?
On Saturday evening, reports emerged that rebel forces had entered the suburbs of Damascus with claims that President Assad was even reaching out to them in hopes of negotiating an end to the conflict. Yeah, good luck with that. By Sunday morning, it was all over. Rebel forces had seized control and publicly declared victory. The news was first broadcast on Syrian state television yesterday morning, with the nation's most prominent news anchor reading a news bulletin provided by the rebel leaders. It read in part, quote, To those who bet on us and to those who didn't, to those who thought one day that we were broken, we announced to you from the Syrian news channel the victory of the great Syrian revolution after 13 years of patience and sacrifice. Now, the leader of the main rebel group, Abu Muhammad al-Jilani, has also made his first statements since arriving in Damascus.
In a speech delivered inside a mosque in the capital, he called the victory a new chapter in the history of the region. He added that Syria would no longer be a, quote, playground for Iranian ambitions, spreading sectarianism, and stirring corruption, end quote.
What statements have been made by key rebel leaders?
Syria's foreign ministry has also released a statement which read, quote, a new page in Syrian history is being written, consecrating a national oath and covenant that will bring all Syrians together, end quote. The people who wrote that statement will likely find themselves out of a job very soon. And depending on how things go over the next days and weeks, well, that could be the best scenario that they could hope for. The collapse of Assad's regime was years in the making. After clinging to power through a brutal civil war that began in 2011, in large part due to the backing of Iran and Russia, Assad faced growing dissent at home. Rebel groups fragmented for much of the conflict recently coordinated a sweeping offensive, capturing key cities such as Aleppo and Homa before storming Damascus. Crucially, Assad's international allies, particularly Russia, seemed to pull back their support in recent months, leaving his regime increasingly isolated.
As opposed to 2015, when Russia and Iran provided significant military resources, personnel, and support in the last major beatdown of the rebels, this time around, both Russia and Iran are in much different situations. Russia, of course, has been focused on its Ukraine invasion and could ill afford to shift military assets to Syria.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What historic event occurred in Syria on December 9th, 2024?
0:51–1:28
2
How are global governments reacting to Assad's regime fall?
1:28–2:05
3
What updates are there on Ukraine's military situation?
2:05–3:07
4
What statements have been made by key rebel leaders?
3:07–8:32
5
What are the implications of Assad's asylum in Moscow?
8:32–13:22
6
How might the fall of Assad's regime affect Syria's future?
13:22–15:38
7
What lessons can be learned from Iraq's post-regime change chaos?
15:38–19:48
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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