Russia was a key ally of the Assad government for years and had also supported Assad militarily in the Syrian civil war since 2015. Poland has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha also viewed Assad’s fall as a warning example for Russia’s other allies.
9.40 p.m.: After the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, US forces carried out dozens of attacks on positions of the jihadist militia “Islamic State” (IS) in Syria on Sunday. Warplanes attacked more than 75 IS targets in central Syria on Sunday, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced on the online service X. The aim of the attacks was to prevent IS from taking advantage of the current upheaval in Syria.
B-52, F-15 and A-10 fighter jets were used in the attacks, it said. “We will not allow IS to regroup and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” said Centcom commander Michael Kurilla. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they cooperate with or support ISIS in any way.”
The US military has stationed 900 soldiers in Syria and 2,500 soldiers in Iraq as part of the anti-IS coalition. This was founded in 2014 to fight jihadists in Iraq and Syria. Outgoing US President Joe Biden said shortly before the Centcom announcement was published that it was clear that IS wanted to “use every vacuum” to re-establish itself in Syria.
8:46 p.m.: After the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, US President Joe Biden called for the country’s long-time ruler to be “held accountable” for his crimes. Assad must answer for “hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians” who were “mistreated, tortured and killed,” Biden said in Washington.
