Russian state media reports that ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow and has been granted asylum after the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that he stepped down and left the country.

    Syrian opposition fighters say al-Assad’s 24-year rule has come to an end after they seized the capital, Damascus.

    A curfew has been declared in Damascus after people took to the streets there and elsewhere to celebrate the downfall of al-Assad’s government.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights following the opposition’s takeover in Syria. Israel has also carried out dozens of air strikes across Syria.

    The dramatic turn of events comes after opposition forces seized several strategic cities in a lightning offensive.

    China calls on Syria to ensure safety of its institutions, personnel

    A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing “is closely following the situation in Syria and hopes that stability will return as soon as possible”.

    “We urge relevant parties in Syria to ensure the safety and security of the Chinese institutions and personnel in Syria,” the spokesperson said.

    The official added that China’s Embassy in Syria is still carrying out its duties and that the Chinese government has “been actively helping Chinese nationals who wish to leave the country”.

    China has had friendly relations with al-Assad.

    In September 2023, Beijing offered to help reconstruct the war-torn country as al-Assad visited the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

    What’s the Syrian opposition’s stance on minorities?

    As we’ve been reporting, the opposition umbrella group that seized Damascus from al-Assad’s army is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS, whose leader was formerly associated with al-Qaeda.

    The group’s dominance has raised concerns over just how inclusive the next government in Syria could be.

    For instance, HTS chief al-Julani told Al Jazeera in 2014 that Syria should be governed according to the group’s hardline interpretation of Islamic law and that the country’s minorities – such as Christians and Alawites – would not be accommodated.

    Now, with their victory, the rebels are seeking to reassure the country’s religious minorities that they are moving on from a history of sectarian violence.

    Here’s some of what they have said:

•     Al-Julani delivered a speech in Damascus on Sunday, declaring that the opposition’s win was a victory for “all Syrians”.
•     Immediately after the opposition seized Damascus, the rebels met with Catholic leaders in the city of Aleppo to reassure them they would “respect the various religious denominations and Christians”, according to Cardinal Mario Zenari. Some 200,000 Christians were living in Aleppo before the war, but that population has now shrunk to 30,000.
•     In Homs, which the rebels seized on Saturday night, the opposition commander, Hassan Abdul Ghany, said, “We ask that all sects be reassured… for the era of sectarianism and tyranny has gone away forever”. In the past, the Alawite minority in Homs suffered deadly attacks from the al-Nusra Front, a previous iteration of HTS that had links to al-Qaeda.
•     Last week, when the rebels seized Aleppo, al-Julani said in a post on Telegram: “Aleppo has always been a meeting point for civilisations and cultures, and it will remain so, with a long history of cultural and religious diversity.”

    Syrian Football Association changes kit colour

    The SFA has changed the colour of the national team’s kit and logo from red to green following the toppling of al-Assad’s government.

    “Our new national team uniform,” the group posted on Facebook alongside a photo of several players clad in green.

    “The first historic change to happen in the history of Syrian sports, far from nepotism, favouritism and corruption,” it added.

    What’s next for Syria’s opposition?

    Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco, laid out the immediate tasks for the new leaders of Syria.

    “The priorities of the new government, however it forms, is solidifying control over territories that they currently operate in, trying to restore government institutions, free the prisoners, help repatriate exiles and displaced peoples,” he said from San Francisco.

    “I don’t think a high priority will be necessarily controlling every metre of Syrian territory, though certainly that would be their goal in the long term.”

    The analyst said a number of actors will try to influence what that new government looks like, including Turkiye, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

    “But it’s not outside forces that led to Assad’s downfall, but the Syrian people. And my strong impression is that for good or for ill, the Syrians will try to form a government that reflects what they believe is their best interest,” Zunes added.

    Syrian rebels assured bishops in Aleppo of respect for minorities: Report

    Cardinal Mario Zenari, the apostolic nuncio to Damascus, told Vatican News that Syrian opposition forces met Catholic leaders in Aleppo immediately after their victory.

    The rebels assured the bishops that “they would respect the various religious denominations and Christians”, Zenari said.

    “We hope they will keep this promise and move toward reconciliation,” he said.

    Zenari added he had been unable to sleep since 5am local time on Sunday due to “constant gunfire” but said people were “shooting into the air with joy”.

    “Thank God, this transition happened without bloodshed, without the carnage that was feared.”

    Asked how he hoped the international community would support Syria, Zenari said that “abolishing sanctions” could help, “as they are a burden that weighs heavily on the poor”.