Assad's Reign In Syria Is Over, U.S. Strikes ISIS Targets, Trump Gives TV Interview
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What happened to Bashar al-Assad and his regime?
After 54 years, the Assad's brutal reign in Syria is over. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia with his family as rebel forces swept into Damascus and Syrians emerged into a new reality. What kind of Syria is born in this moment?
I'm Laila Fadil, that's Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. President Biden called the fall of the Assad regime a moment of historic opportunity. But he also warned of the potential risks.
We're clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum.
With a Trump administration coming in, how will he approach a new Syria? Trump also gave his first network TV interview since winning the election.
I'm looking to make our country successful. Retribution will be through success.
What did we learn about his approach for his second term? Stay with us. We'll tell you what you need to know to start your day.
Syrians woke up this morning to their first day in decades without the Assad regime ruling their lives.
The Assad family came to power in 1970 when Richard Nixon was still in the early days of his first term as US President. On Sunday, Russia confirmed that President Bashar al-Assad had fled to Moscow, while in Damascus, the capital, the rebels who seized control were led by an Islamist group still designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.
How are Syrians reacting to the fall of the Assad regime?
Here to tell us what Syrians are making of this stunning new reality without Assad's brutal grip on power, we are joined from Beirut by NPR's Ruth Sherlock. Good morning, Ruth. Good morning. So Ruth, an 11-day rebel push in Assad is gone after over a decade of civil war. It's hard to even believe. What are we hearing from Syrians on their first day without the Assad regime in power?
People are dazed and incredulous. You know, there's celebrations across the country. Like you said, you know, Leila, this regime was in power for over 50 years. And then there was 13 years of devastating civil war. And the Assad family seemed to have won. Then it collapsed like a house of cards. The regime collapsed in the space of just over a week. So there's now major celebrations across the country, but also among the millions of Syrian refugees, many of whom now want to return. NPR producer in Lebanon, Jawad Rasallah, went to Arsal, that's a town on the border with Syria where families have lived in tents for years. He asked a refugee there, Mahmoud Satouf, to describe what was happening.
Now we are hearing the celebrations of the people. They are screaming that now they are free. Like their home country is free. You can hear the happiness in their voices.
And, you know, in Damascus there's been celebrations, also some looting, but also Syrians are accessing places they've never been before, like Assad's family palace. This war plunged people into extreme poverty. Now you're seeing the opulence in which the Assad family lived, like sports cars in the garages, and Syrians are coming out of the palace holding fine china and silverware. Shh!
Yeah, I was watching those videos as they walked through this palace, seeing the riches he lived in as so many lived in poverty. I've also seen the videos of thousands of prisoners freed and just moving, heartbreaking scenes. What do we know about them?
Well, over 100,000 detainees are believed to be unaccounted for in Syria, and now their loved ones want to find them. So you've got families combing the Sednaya prison in Damascus. There's this huge complex. It was synonymous with fear and torture during the regime. Thousands of people have disappeared there. And now, you know, rights groups say that many of the prisoners have died there of neglect, of torture. There were mass executions in the prisons. But we're also seeing these incredible scenes of detainees being freed. What you're hearing here is, you know, the sound from a video showing cell doors being bashed open as prisoners, gaunt and grey and dazed, are crying wildly as they learn that the regime has fallen. Some are too injured to walk, so you're seeing them drag themselves towards the exit.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What happened to Bashar al-Assad and his regime?
0:02–1:24
2
How are Syrians reacting to the fall of the Assad regime?
1:24–4:16
3
What can we learn about the situation for Syrian detainees?
4:16–6:26
4
What is the U.S. military's role in Syria now?
6:26–8:27
5
What is Trump's stance on U.S. involvement in Syria?
8:27–10:13
6
How is the international community responding to the new Syrian reality?
10:13–12:45
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from Up First from NPR
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