When the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed over the weekend without a fight, Damascus slipped into a power vacuum that saw the pillaging of the deposed president’s ornate palace, some government buildings and the homes of high-ranking officials.
But hours after Assad fled Syria, organized rebel forces entered the capital and began attempting to restore order. Gunmen from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, one of the largest groups from the north, curbed looting and set up checkpoints to confiscate stolen goods, including furniture, electronics and home appliances, residents said.
On Monday, HTS said it had nearly completed the task of securing the capital and tapped Mohammed al-Bashir, the head of a de facto government the group backed for years in Syria’s rebel-held northwest, to form a transitional government for the entire country.
https://archive.is/2JP4Q#selection-5845.0-5857.260
Israeli Strikes Hit Syria’s Navy, Military Arsenals
The strikes are intended to prevent the weapons from falling into rebel hands
TEL AVIV—Israel targeted Syria’s naval and other military assets overnight as part of its campaign to destroy weapons left behind by the country’s military following the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli missile ships overnight destroyed naval vessels belonging to Assad’s forces that held sea-to-sea missiles, a person familiar with the matter said. The strikes happened in the port area of Latakia and Minet El Beida Bay, and were intended to prevent the weapons from falling into the hands of rebels that could eventually use them against Israel, the person said. Israel’s state-owned Israeli Army Radio reported that Israel struck over 250 Syrian military targets in the past day.
Israel’s military in recent days has also moved its troops into the 155-square-mile buffer zone in the Golan Heights and said Tuesday its forces were still holding their position there. Turkey on Tuesday joined Egypt and Qatar in condemning Israel’s deployment into the buffer zone with Syria.