Live Updates: Syria’s New Leader Calls on Countries to Drop Terror Designation and Lift Sanctions

Ahmed al-Shara stressed diplomacy in an interview but criticized Israel’s advance into Syrian territory. A statement said to be from Bashar al-Assad, the ousted leader, defended his decision to leave for Russia.The New York Times reports that on Dec. 16, 2024 at 4:25 p.m. ET, Ahmed al-Shara, the leader of the rebel coalition governing Syria, called for governments like the United States to remove their terrorism designations for his group and lift sanctions imposed on the country. This public display of diplomacy comes as the power struggle for Syria’s future intensifies.

On the same day, a statement purportedly from Syria’s ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, was released on social media accounts he used while in office. In the statement, Mr. al-Assad claimed that he had wanted to stay and fight, but was evacuated by Russia after rebel forces infiltrated the capital, Damascus. This is the first public comment from Mr. al-Assad since he and his family fled Syria over a week ago.

According to the statement, Mr. al-Assad said he had not considered stepping down or seeking refuge as the rebels advanced. He claimed to have remained in Damascus until Dec. 8, when he was forced to flee to the coastal city of Latakia with the help of his Russian allies.

Hours after the release of Mr. al-Assad’s statement, Mr. al-Shara gave his own public statements in an interview with a small group of journalists. Dressed in a dark business suit instead of combat fatigues, Mr. al-Shara seemed to continue his transition from rebel to diplomat. He called for the lifting of sanctions on the Assad regime, criticized Israel’s incursions into Syrian territory, and stated that his rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was focused on building a state and creating public institutions that serve all Syrians.

The Russian state news agency, Tass, reported that Mr. al-Assad’s statement was issued from Moscow. However, it was later removed from one of his social media accounts. The statement provided new details about Mr. al-Assad’s final days in power.

As the world grapples with the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a conservative Islamist group that has long been designated as a terrorist organization, Mr. al-Shara met with the U.N. special envoy to Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, on Sunday. The new government is also expected to meet with leaders from Europe and the Middle East. International powers have expressed their desire for a stable and unified Syria with an inclusive government that respects the rights of minorities, and they now have the opportunity to influence the new leadership towards this goal.

The Kremlin has acknowledged that the fate of its critical bases in Syria is uncertain. Video footage from The New York Times shows a convoy of Russian military vehicles moving from Tartus to Latakia, two cities in western Syria where Russia has military bases. 

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