The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) congratulated the leadership of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the people of Syria for the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad and the fall of Damascus.

According to a statement issued by the IEA’s foreign ministry, Afghanistan’s leaders “hope that the remaining phases of the revolution will be managed in a way that secures a peaceful, unified and stable system.”

The IEA also stated that it hoped the transition of power takes place in a “manner that lays the foundations of a sovereign and service-oriented Islamic government in line with the aspirations of the Syrian people.”

The ministry also stated that hopefully a general amnesty will be adopted and that conditions are created for the “return of millions of refugees”.

The IEA also called on “all foreign actors involved in Syria to adopt policies of positive engagement and cooperation, both with each other and with the new leadership, that enables Syria to embark on a path towards good governance, security and stability.”

Assad’s ousting

Syrian rebels on Sunday declared they had ousted Assad after seizing control of Damascus early in the day, forcing him to flee and ending his family’s decades of autocratic rule after more than 13 years of civil war.

In what is considered a seismic moment for the Middle East, the rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria in the heart of the region – allies who had propped up Assad during critical periods in the war but were distracted by other crises recently, Reuters reported.

The rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.

The pace of events stunned Arab capitals and raised concerns about a new wave of instability in a region already in turmoil following the spread of conflict after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing Gaza war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Assad’s fall was a direct result of blows that Israel has dealt to Iran and its ally Hezbollah.

French President Emmanuel Macron said “the barbaric state has fallen” and paid tribute to the Syrian people.

Daunting task ahead

However, Syria’s new leaders will face the daunting task of trying to deliver stability to a diverse country with competing factions that will need billions of dollars in aid and investments to rebuild.
Syria’s long civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad’s rule, turned cities to rubble and killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Reuters reports that one possible challenge could be a resurgence of Islamic State (ISIS) which imposed a reign of terror in large swathes of Syria and Iraq and directed external operations during its prime.

President Joe Biden’s administration was monitoring developments but has not adjusted the positioning of the roughly 900 troops in Syria so far, US officials told Reuters.

Underscoring the lightning changes, Iran’s embassy was stormed by Syrian rebels, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.

Iran, whose elite Revolutionary Guards have faced deadly Israeli strikes in Syria, gave a measured response, Reuters reported.

Its foreign ministry said Syria’s fate is the sole responsibility of the Syrian people and should be pursued without foreign imposition or destructive intervention.

Lebanese-based Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad for years, withdrew all of its forces from Syria on Saturday as rebel factions approached Damascus, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters on Sunday.

Assad, who had not spoken in public since the sudden rebel advance a week ago, flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters.
His whereabouts now – and those of his wife Asma and their two children – were unknown.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Assad had left office and departed the country after giving orders for a peaceful handover of power.

The Syrian rebel coalition said it was continuing work to complete the transfer of power in the country to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.