Biden says fall of Assad regime in Syria is ‘historic opportunity’

President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Sunday after meeting with his national security team, calling the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s “abhorrent” regime a “historic opportunity for the long-suffering Syrian people.” .

“Finally, the Assad regime has fallen,” Biden said. “This regime has brutalized, tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians.”

At the same time, it is “also a time of risk and uncertainty,” Biden added, saying the United States would “support Syria’s neighbors, including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel , if a threat arises.”

He also said the United States was “concerned” about the safety of Americans in Syria, including American freelance journalist and Marine Corps veteran Austin Tice, who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012 Biden said he would “remain committed to returning.” [Tice] to his family.”

“This is a time of considerable risk and uncertainty,” Biden said. “But I also believe this is the best opportunity in generations for Syrians to shape their own future without opposition.”

President-elect Donald Trump previously called the situation in Syria a “mess” and urged not to involve the United States in the conflict.

“Anyway, Syria is a mess, but it is not our friend,” he added. AND THE UNITED STATES SHOULD NOT DO ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET HIM PLAY. DON’T GET INVOLVED!” Trump wrote in a post on.

On Saturday, White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the United States “had nothing to do with this offensive, led by Hay’at Tahir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terrorist organization,” and said the United States would work with its allies and partners to encourage de-escalation and to protect American personnel and military positions.

Speaking at a defense conference Saturday, before the rebels advanced toward Damascus, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the speed and scale of the rebels’ rapid advance was due in part to that Assad’s main backers – Iran, Russia and Hezbollah – had all been “weakened and distracted” in recent months.

That left Assad “basically naked,” Sullivan said. “His strength is exhausted.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Sunday evening that the fall of the Assad regime means “the Syrian people finally have reason to hope.”

“The United States strongly supports a peaceful transition of power to an accountable Syrian government through an inclusive, Syrian-led process,” Blinken said. “During this transition period, the Syrian people have every right to demand the maintenance of state institutions, the resumption of key services and the protection of vulnerable communities.”

Early Sunday, the rebel military operations command of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, said the president was no longer in the capital, writing: “We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad “.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Sunday morning that Assad “decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully.” Russia and Iran were the two main foreign supporters of Assad’s government.

Trump said that Russia, which has long supported the Assad regime, is “blocked in Ukraine” and apparently unable to intervene in Syria, and said that expelling Assad from “might actually be the best thing that could happen” to the Russian government.

“There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being wasted needlessly, too many families destroyed, and if this continues it could turn into something much bigger, and much worse ” Trump said.

In an interview with ABC News, retired Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, who led U.S. Central Command during Trump’s first term, agreed with the president-elect’s assessment that the situation could lead to the chaos.

“I’m not sure it’s ultimately good news for the Syrian people,” McKenzie told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “You know, we could see an Islamic state emerge there, which would have profound negative implications throughout the region. It’s possible. There are other possibilities as well. And I think in the next 48, 72 , 96 hours, we — this will start to become clearer to us.”

“This is an important moment in Syrian history,” McKenzie added. “I wish I could be more hopeful that this will mean good news for the Syrian people. I think that’s not clear at the moment.”

Asked about the safety of the 900 U.S. troops stationed in eastern Syria to contain ISIS, McKenzie said Assad’s fall could put them in a better situation.

“Actually, there’s probably less danger right now than before, because what you see is the Iranians, the Lebanese Hezbollah and, in fact, the Russians are all on alert now because of what has just happened in Syria,” he added. he said.

The regime’s collapse marks the end of a 24-year rule, with Assad succeeding his father Hafez al-Assad in 2000. The Assad family had ruled Syria since 1971.

Assad oversaw Syria’s slide into a brutal civil war in 2011. His security forces sought to crush a mass protest movement demanding democratic reforms as the Arab Spring shook the region. The standoff escalated into a bloody civil war that divided the nation along political, ethnic and religious lines.

The chaos allowed IS to expand in the border region between Iraq and Syria and to seize swaths of territory in the Levant region. The conflict has also become a proxy battleground attracting major world powers, including the United States, Russia, Iran, Israel and the Gulf states.

The United Nations estimates that some 307,000 civilians will die in Syria by the end of 2022, and 12 million people – more than half the country’s population of around 22 million in 2011 – forced to leave their homes, with around 5.4 million still living as victims. from the end of 2022.