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A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on 7 December 2024. Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP Overthrown Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow after being granted asylum in Russia, according to Russian state media TASS, citing a source in the Kremlin. "Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia, for humanitarian reasons, has granted them asylum," the Kremlin source said, according to TASS Meanwhile, Syrian rebel forces reached additional cells in the notorious Saydnaya prison on Sunday, freeing more prisoners from inhumane conditions after seizing ...

By Sophie Tanno, Nic Robertson, Madalena Araujo, Catherine Nicholls and Mostafa Salem, CNN File photo. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, left, talks to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Moscow, Russia. om 2022.. Photo: AFP As many in Syria celebrated the end of the long rule of Bashar al-Assad, rumours swirled about his whereabouts. After a day of intrigue, the mystery was solved when Russian state media announced he had landed in Moscow. "Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia, for humanitarian reasons, has granted them asylum," a Kremlin source said, according to TASS. Since the uprising began, and the rebels rapidly advanced through the country, Assad had kept a low profile. After meeting with Iran's foreign minister last weekend, he pledged to fig...

By Maher Al Mounes for AFP A man sits in an armchair outside of the Tishrin residential palace of Syria's ousted president Bashar al-Assad. Photo: AFP / Omar Haj Kadour Roaming the opulent Damascus home of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Abu Omar felt a sense of giddy defiance being in the residence of the man he said had long oppressed him. "I am taking pictures, because I am so happy to be here in the middle of his house," said the 44-year-old, showing photographs he took on his mobile phone. He was among the dozens an AFP correspondent saw entering Assad's home after Assad fled the country -- to Moscow according to Russian news agencies -- as rebels took control of the capital in an 11-day lightning offensive. The swift campaign by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS...

By Ashley R. Williams, Gloria Pazmino, Evan Perez, Mark Morales, Brynn Gingras, Shimon Prokupecz and Ryan Young, CNNAs the investigation into the fatal shooting of a health care executive in Manhattan enters its fifth day, police are missing key pieces of evidence and are combing through what they have gathered for more clues, as the suspect remains on the run.The New York Police Department is working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies across the country to search for the suspect, with the public being encouraged with rewards. Two new photos released by police show the suspect masked with a hood in the backseat of a vehicle and wearing a jacket walking on the street.While authorities say they believe the suspect has long left New York City after fatally shooting UnitedHealthca...

By Simone McCarthy, CNN A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on December 7, 2024. Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP Syria's iron-fisted leader Bashar al-Assad is the second generation of an autocratic family dynasty that held power for more than five decades and his disappearance amid a lightning rebel advance signals an astonishing reordering of power in a strategically vital Middle Eastern nation. Assad is known for a brutal rule over Syria, which since 2011 has been devastated by a civil war that ravaged the country and turned it into a breeding ground for extremist group ISIS, whi...

By John Lyons, global affairs editor, ABC Bashar al-Assad, pictured with Russia's Vladimir Putin in 2021. Photo: AFP Analysis - The Middle East has changed dramatically in just eight days. Whether the regime of Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad is finished or just seriously wounded, he is now a leader with little authority. A rebel army has been able to take swathes of the country, storming into Damascus and tearing down a picture of Hafez al-Assad, the man who set up the brutal regime. Whatever the final outcome of the chaos in Syria, the last week has seen an extraordinary upheaval. Russia and Iran take a hit The big losers are Russia and Iran. They have both been instrumental in helping to prop up the regime since uprisings began in 2011. For Russia, Syria is its strongest ally in th...

By John Irish, Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy, left, with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in September. Photo: AFP - Ukrainian Presidential Press Service U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has called for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end "the madness", prompting President Volodymr Zelenskiy to say that there could be no peace without guarantees. Trump made his comments just hours after meeting Zelenskiy in Paris for their first face-to-face talks since Trump won the November U.S. election. Trump has vowed to bring about a negotiated end to the conflict, but so far has not provided details. "Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, adding that Ky...

Celebrations in the city of Hama, where Syrians gather at Al-Assi Square to take commemorative photos and express their joy over the city's control. The square is filled with the sounds of celebratory gunfire and the distribution of sweets to mark the occasion. Photo: AFP / Rami Alsayed By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Timour Azhari, Reuters Syrian rebels announced on state television on Sunday that they have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, eliminating a 50-year family dynasty in a lightning offensive that raised fears of a new wave of instability in a Middle East gripped by war. Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that Assad's regime had ended, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move told Reuters. But the Syrian army later said it was continuing operations against "terro...

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Timour Azhari, Reuters People celebrate at Umayyad Square in Damascus on 8 December 2024. Photo: AFP / LOUAI BESHARA Syrian rebels declared President Bashar al-Assad's ouster after seizing control of Damascus on Sunday, forcing him to flee and ending his family's decades of rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East. The Islamist rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in the heart of the region, key allies who propped up Assad during critical periods in the conflict. Iran's embassy was stormed by Syrian rebels following their capture of Damascus, Iran's English-language Press TV reported on Sunday. Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that Assad's rule had ended, a Syrian office...

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters People check the damage outside the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israeli strikes around the medical complex. Photo: AFP Palestinian health officials said on Sunday (local time) that Israeli forces had shelled the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, damaging electricity and oxygen pumps and disrupting urgent surgeries. Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the hospital, one of only three barely operational on the northern edge of the enclave, said the facility was hit by around 100 tank shells and bombs, wounding several of the medical staff and patients. "The situation is extremely dangerous. We have patients in the intensive care unit and others awaiting surgeries. Access to the operating r...