China nearly triples nuclear arsenal since 2020, Pentagon report says
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(WASHINGTON) — China has nearly tripled its nuclear warhead arsenal since 2020, according to the Pentagon’s latest China military power report released Wednesday.
“DOD estimates the PRC has surpassed 600 operational nuclear warheads as of mid-2024,” a senior U.S. defense official told reporters this week.
In 2020, the Pentagon estimated China’s nuclear stockpile was in the low 200s.
“The PLA continues its rapid nuclear build up,” the official said, using an acronym for the People’s Liberation Army, adding that China is expected to exceed 1,000 warheads by 2030.
China is also diversifying the kinds of nuclear weapons it’s building, the official said.
“When you look at what they’re trying to build here, it’s a diversified nuclear force that would be comprised of systems ranging from low-yield precision strike missiles all the way up to ICBMs, with different options at basically every rung on the escalation ladder, which is a lot different than what they’ve relied on traditionally,” the official said.
China’s budding nuclear arsenal, still dwarfed by those of the U.S. and Russia, is just one part of a broader strategy to build its influence on the global stage, the official said.
“The PRC seeks to amass national power to achieve what Xi Jinping has referred to as the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation by 2049 and to revise the international order in support of the PRC system of governments and its national interests,” the official said.
Despite economic and corruption-related setbacks, China’s military is making steady progress in modernizing its non-nuclear capabilities as well, according to the official.
“They also are showing some interest in developing a new conventional ICBM that could strike Hawaii, Alaska and the continental United States. And I think this is in part to address what they’ve seen as a long-standing asymmetry in the U.S.’s ability to conduct conventional strikes against the PRC, and for many decades, their inability to reach out and strike the U.S. territory with anything other than nuclear and ballistic missiles,” the official said.
Beijing has become ever more willing to use military coercion to help achieve its aims, according to the DOD report.
“Throughout 2023, the PRC escalated tensions with the Philippines in the South China Sea by ramming and boarding vessels en route to supply Second Thomas Shoal. The PRC also amplified its diplomatic, political and military pressure against Taiwan in 2023 and into this year,” the senior defense official said.
But the People’s Liberation Army has identified some of its own shortcomings, including with the strength of its leaders, according to the report.
“The PLA to continues to highlight what they refer to as the ‘five incapables,’ which is a PLA slogan asserting that some PLA commanders are incapable of judging situations, understanding higher authorities’ intentions, making operational decisions, deploying forces or managing unexpected situations,” the defense official said.
Despite several soft spots, the U.S. lists China as the Defense Department’s No. 1 “pacing challenge.”
“Our National Security Strategy identifies the PRC as the only competitor with the intent, and increasingly, the capability, to reshape the international order,” the official said.
(SEOUL and LONDON) — The two survivors of South Korea’s deadliest plane crash in decades were recovering at separate hospitals in Seoul on Monday, as investigators began far-reaching probes into both the fatal crash and the country’s broader aviation operations.
The only survivors, a man and a woman, were among the six crew members onboard the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 when it skidded along a runway, crashed into a wall and burst into flames on Sunday morning, officials said. A total of 181 people were onboard.
The man who survived, who was receiving treatment for fractures in an intensive care unit, was alert and speaking with medical staff, Ju Woong, director of the Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, said at a press conference on Monday.
The man, a flight attendant identified only by his surname, Lee, had “already been rescued” when he woke up, the hospital official said. “(Lee’s) fully able to communicate,” Woong added. “There’s no indication yet of memory loss or such.”
The woman, 25-year-old flight attendant named Koo, was also recovering, though not in intensive care, hospital staff and officials with the Korean Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport said. Neither survivor had life-threatening injuries, the ministry said, adding that both had awoken in the hospital without a clear recollection of what had happened after they heard a blast during the landing.
Authorities were working on Monday to confirm the identities of more than three dozen of the 179 people who were killed when the plane crash-landed. The bodies of 141 people had been identified through their fingerprints or DNA, but 38 of the dead remained unidentified, local officials said.
Officials had recovered the flight’s data recorders from the wreckage and were releasing information. The acting president, Choi Sang-mok, who has been leading the country since Friday, ordered an emergency safety inspection of South Korea’s entire air fleet and operations.
The transport ministry said it will conduct a full inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft in use in South Korea. Six low-cost airlines operate a total of 101 of that model aircraft, including the 39 operated by Jeju Air. But the airline said it would not suspend operations of those planes.
“There are no plans to suspend operations, but they will examine those parts once more and check them thoroughly during the inspection process,” said Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air’s Management Support Division.
Flight 7C2216 had taken off from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand before dawn on Monday, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracker.
As the aircraft approached South Korea’s Muan International Airport at 8:54 a.m., the control tower gave it permission to land on a south-to-north runway, according to an official timeline by the transport ministry.
Three minutes later, the flight control tower issued a warning of a possible bird strike, the transport ministry said. About two minutes after that warning, a pilot sent a distress signal, saying, “Mayday, mayday, mayday, bird strike, bird strike, going around,” the ministry said.
The plane ascended and made a 180-degree before descending from the north side, crash-landing and crashing into the wall at 9:03 a.m., the ministry said.
The official death toll, provided by the National Fire Agency, climbed steadily in the hours after the crash. By nightfall on Sunday, local officials said all but two of the 181 people onboard had died in the crash.
The aircraft’s voice and data recorders, or “black boxes,” were recovered from the wreckage, the Air and Railway Investigation Committee said. The flight data recorder was found partially damaged and the cockpit voice recorder was collected intact, officials said.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday it would send an investigative team — which was to include members from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration — to assist South Korean officials. The results of that investigation will be released by the Republic of Korea’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, or ARAIB.
Efforts were being made to speed up the identifications of the remaining 38 people who died, but some bodies were too damaged for their fingerprints to be used.
Others were the bodies of minors, whose prints were not on file to compare, authorities said. According to the flight manifest, the youngest passenger on board was 3 years old. The manifest recorded five children under 10 years old on the flight.
Jeju Air, which operates an all-Boeing fleet, is a popular low-cost carrier in South Korea. The airline operated about 217 flights a day and carried more than 12 million people during 2023.
More than 68,000 Jeju Air tickets have been canceled since the crash, according to Jeju Air. All will be fully refunded, the airline said.
ABC News’ Sam Sweeney, Hakyung Kate Lee, Jack Moore, Will Gretsky, Victoria Beaule and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
(DOHA) — A ceasefire deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas, more than 15 months into the conflict.
The agreement, which was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, is currently being finalized, Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, announced during remarks in Doha late Wednesday. The Israelis will take the agreement back to their government for approval, he said.
The agreement will begin on Sunday, with the first, six-week phase seeing a ceasefire, the withdrawal of some Israeli forces to allow more aid to get in and the release of 33 hostages in Gaza, starting with women, children and the elderly, according to the Qatari prime minister. A number of Palestinian prisoners will be released, as well, he said.
According to the Hamas delegation in Doha, the provisions Hamas agreed to include the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi corridor, in stages, and handing over 33 Israeli prisoners, dead and alive, in exchange for the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations would be completed in stages for the release of the remaining hostages, according to the Hamas delegation.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that they resolved an issue over forces on the Philadelphi corridor, though there are several “unresolved clauses” in the deal they hope to finalize Wednesday night.
Israel said its security cabinet will convene on Thursday to approve the deal.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the deal is “the right move” and called upon the Israeli government to approve it.
“There is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us — whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest,” he said.
The head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Khalil Al-Hayya, thanked Qatar and Egypt for their “strenuous efforts and multiple rounds of negotiations” to reach a ceasefire deal.
Phase one will also include an increased flow of relief and humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip, the Qatari prime minister said. Coordination is currently underway to open the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing to allow the entry of international aid into Gaza, an Egyptian security source told ABC News.
The second and third phases of the agreement will be finalized after the first phase, the Qatari prime minister said. Phase two will mark a “permanent end of the war,” President Joe Biden said during remarks Wednesday.
Under phase two, the remaining living hostages will be released and all remaining Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza, according to Biden. The remains of the final hostages will be returned in phase three and a “major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin,” Biden said.
Biden said the mediating countries have pledged to ensure that negotiations move forward “as long as it takes,” and that his team is coordinating closely with the incoming Trump administration “to make sure we’re all speaking with the same voice.”
The Qatari prime minister said Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. will monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
“With this agreement, I emphasize the importance of accelerating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza to address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis, without any hindrances, until a sustainable peace is achieved through the two-state solution, and for the region to enjoy stability, security and development in a world that is large enough for everyone,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a statement.
The United Nations is ready to support the implementation of the deal and “scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Wednesday.
In over a year of war between Israel and Hamas, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza and almost 110,000 injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. That figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. However, more than 14,000 children and 8,000 women have been killed, according to the health ministry.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they have killed more than 15,000 combatants throughout the course of the war, which was sparked by the unprecedented Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in southern Israel. More than 1,200 people were killed and another 253 were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
During a weeklong ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in late November 2023, Hamas freed more than 100 people. In exchange, Israel released more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Several hostages in Gaza have also been freed in the months since, while the bodies of others have been recovered.
Amid the renewed negotiations in early January, 94 abductees remained in Gaza, including 34 who have been confirmed dead, according to Israeli officials.
Hamas is currently advising Palestinians to remain alert until the official start of the agreement and to rely on official sources for information on the timing of the ceasefire.
Following news of a ceasefire and hostage deal being reached on Wednesday, people could be seen celebrating across Gaza and Israel.
Biden said the deal followed “many months of intensive diplomacy by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar.”
“This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” Biden said in a statement.
“My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done,” he added.
Biden said he is determined to bring seven American hostages home, three of whom are alive. Two of them — Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen — are expected to be part of this first phase of the agreement, a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday. The third, Edan Alexander, will fall in the second release phase because of his Israeli military service, the official said, adding that the U.S. remains fully committed to getting him out.
President-elect Donald Trump also said Wednesday that a hostage deal has been reached, writing in a Truth Social post, “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”
Trump took credit for what he called an “EPIC” ceasefire agreement, saying it “could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November.” He said his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and U.S. allies to “make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven.”
The families of seven American hostages in Gaza said they are “deeply grateful” that an agreement for the phased release of hostages has been reached.
“The coming days and weeks will be just as painful for our families as the entirety of our loved ones’ horrific ordeals,” the families said in a statement. “That is why we ask all parties to stay committed to this agreement, every phase until it is fully implemented and everyone has been returned. We feel hopeful that under President Trump’s leadership, every last hostage will come home.”
A new round of ceasefire negotiations began on Jan. 3 in Qatar. Delegations from both Israel and Hamas were dispatched to Doha to resume the negotiations, which were brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The Biden administration also helped broker the talks.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously told reporters the United States wanted a ceasefire deal in Gaza and all remaining captives released before Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Blinken on Jan. 6 reported “intensified engagement,” including by Hamas, on reaching a deal, though he added, “We are yet to see agreement on final points.”
“We need Hamas to make the final necessary decisions to complete the agreement and to fundamentally change the circumstance for the hostages, getting them out, for people in Gaza, bringing them relief, and for the region as a whole, creating an opportunity to actually move forward to something better, more secure for everyone involved,” Blinken said at the time.
On Tuesday, Blinken said during an address at the Atlantic Council that Israel and Hamas were “on the brink” of reaching a six-week ceasefire deal that would see some hostages released from Gaza.
The deal comes after a ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Hezbollah in November 2024, weeks after Israel invaded southern Lebanon as part of an escalation of its conflict with Hezbollah.
It also follows the high-profile assassinations last year of Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar — with Sinwar being one of the key architects of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel — as well as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has claimed responsibility for their deaths.
(DAMASCUS, SYRIA) — Rebel forces in Syria captured the capital Damascus and toppled the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. The Israel Defense Forces continues its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza.
Tensions also remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides.
Israel launches 480 strikes in Syria in 48 hours
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday evening that it conducted about 480 strikes across Syria within the previous 48 hours, hitting most of the country’s strategic weapon stockpiles.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the navy destroyed the Syrian fleet at anchor overnight. Dozens of sea-to-sea missiles were also destroyed in strikes on naval facilities in the Mediterranean port city of Latakia, Katz said.
Israel has also deployed ground troops both into and beyond a demilitarized buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria for the first time in 50 years.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Syria rebels will not succeed, Khamenei says
In his first public comments since the fall of Bashar Assad’s government, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran and its regional allies will continue fighting against the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East despite setbacks for Iran in the region.
In a Wednesday morning speech in Tehran, Khamenei said the collapse of Bashar Assad’s government — of which Iran was a major patron — was the product of a “joint” American and Israeli plan. “We have evidence — this evidence leaves no room for doubt,” he added.
Without naming Turkey, Khamenei said that one “neighboring state of Syria” also played an obvious role in the developments, but “the main conspirator, the main planner and the main command room are in America and the Zionist regime.”
Iranian leaders have previously described the Syrian opposition forces that toppled Assad as “terrorists” or “rebels,” but Khamenei on Wednesday did not use such words.
“Each of these fighters has a purpose,” he said of the armed groups. “Their goals are different, some are seeking to seize territory from northern Syria or southern Syria.”
The U.S., he added, “is seeking to strengthen its foothold in the region.”
“Time will show that, God willing, none of them will achieve these goals,” the ayatollah continued. “The occupied areas of Syria will be liberated by the zealous Syrian youth; do not doubt that this will happen.”
Khamenei said that the Iranian-led “Resistance Front,” meanwhile, will grow stronger despite its recent setbacks in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
“The more pressure you put on it, the stronger it becomes,” he said of the grouping. “The more you fight them, the wider it becomes, and I tell you, with the power of god, the scope of resistance will encompass the entire region more than ever before,” he said.
-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian
UN warns of skyrocketing food prices in Syria
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs published a new report Wednesday warning that food prices in some parts of Syria have increased by 900% amid the collapse of former President Bashar Assad’s regime.
“Food shortages were reported in Deir el-Zour, Damascus and Hama; bread prices Idlib and Aleppo rose by 900% from Nov. 27 to Dec. 9,” the UNOCHA wrote, referring to the period between the start of the surprise rebel offensive in the northwest and the fall of Damascus.
“Around 100,000 individuals have been displaced to northeast Syria,” the report continued. “Hospitals are overwhelmed with trauma and injury cases and there is significant psychological distress, especially among children,” it added.
The “fluid displacements” of large numbers of people are particularly concerning given the many areas of continued fighting and minefields across the country, the UNOCHA said. Those include 52 minefields identified in the past 10 days, it said.
-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian
Syrian rebels claim Deir el-Zour from Kurdish forces
Syrian rebel forces said late Tuesday they had taken control of the eastern city of Deir el-Zour on the banks of the Euphrates River and close to U.S. military positions in the region.
The city was occupied by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Dec. 6 as former president Bashar Assad’s forces withdrew. The SDF subsequenty faced protests from residents and local officials.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Military Operations Department said in a post to Telegram that the city and its military airport were “completely liberated” as of the early hours of Wednesday.
Geolocated videos showed rebel fighters in the city center, joined by residents waving the Syrian revolutionary flag.
Rebel forces continued to advance into the countryside to the west and east of the city, Lt. Col. Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement posted to Telegram.
Deir el-Zour is the largest city in eastern Syria and the closest to U.S. troop concentrations along the Euphrates River running to the Iraqi border.
-ABC News’ Helena Skinner
Iran’s Khamenei says Syrian collapse ‘planned’ by US, Israel
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei alleged on Wednesday that the U.S. and Israel orchestrated the rapid collapse of the Syrian government led by former President Bashar Assad.
Damascus’ defeat, Khamenei wrote on X, “was planned in the U.S.-Israeli control room.”
“We have evidence for this” which leaves “no room for doubt,” Khamenei said.
Iran and Russia were the key backers of Assad’s government through more than a decade of civil war.
Tehran’s support for the regime in Damascus enabled Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to establish a major presence inside Syria alongside a range of Iran-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah.
Famous Syrian activist found dead in Saydnaya
After dedicating his life to fighting the Assad regime, Mazen Al-Hamada did not live to see it fall.
A symbol of resilience and courage, the famous Syrian activist was found dead in the “slaughterhouse” prison of Saydnaya in Damascus, where he had been held since he returned to Syria in February 2020.
An unverified photo circulating online shows his disfigured face and suggests he was killed just before the rebels reached the prison, according to independent observers.
Al-Hamada was first arrested in 2011, when he protested against the regime, and remained in prison for two years. He left Syria in 2013 and was granted asylum in the Netherlands a year later.
That’s when the world got to know the horrors he endured, which he bravely described as he spoke to huge crowds, policymakers and the press, voicing the struggle of thousands who like him were detained by Assad’s regime — at least 157,000 between 2011 and August 2024, according to a report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
“I will not rest until I take them to court and get justice,” Al-Hamada said in an interview for a 2017 documentary, ‘Syria’s Disappeared,’ his sunken eyes in tears unable to hide the pain behind his words. “Justice for me and my friends who they killed. Even if it costs my life. Bring them to justice, no matter what.”
-ABC News’ Camilla Alcini
White Helmets search 2nd prison
The White Helmets said they have searched a second prison in Damascus within a training center for the Assad regime’s State Security Branch.
“Our teams conducted searches and inspections inside the prison and the basement, which contains collective and solitary confinement cells, where innocent people were detained and brutally tortured. The teams found papers with numbers of soldiers who worked in the branch. The teams contacted them and they confirmed that the cells were only within the basement and that there were no hidden detention centers in the place,” the White Helmets said in a statement.
White Helmets demand Assad hand over maps of secret prisons
After searching Monday for secret prisons and cells, the White Helmets are now demanding Bashar Assad hand over the locations of the regime’s secret prisons along with a list of detainees being held.
Many believe there are still prisons that have yet to be discovered.
“The defunct Assad regime has practiced indescribable brutality and criminality in killing, arresting, and torturing Syrians, prolonging the period of oppression and pain in the hearts of mothers. Justice for all victims and holding accountable the perpetrators of crimes against Syrians is the first step in healing wounds and supporting peace-building efforts,” the White Helmets said in a statement Tuesday.
The White Helmets said they sent a request to the United Nations through an international mediator to demand that Russia pressure Assad to release the information so the prisoners can be reached.
Israel will act ‘to ensure security,’ but won’t interfere in Syria, Netanyahu says
Israel will act decisively against positions in Syria if Hezbollah reemerges, but it has “no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Syria,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in remarks Tuesday.
“I authorized the Air Force to bomb strategic military capabilities left behind by the Syrian army, so that they would not fall into the hands of the jihadists,” Netanyahu said.
“We want relations with the new regime in Syria. But if this regime allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria, or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or attacks us — we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price from him,” Netanyahu said.
IDF says they’ve destroyed almost all Assad regime capability
The Israel Defense Forces said it has hit about 320 targets, destroying almost all of the Assad regime army’s capability throughout Syria, from Damascus to Tartus.
“The operation destroyed dozens of fighter jets, combat helicopters, radars, surface-to-air missile batteries, ships, surface-to-surface missiles, rockets, weapons production sites, weapons depots, Scud missiles, cruise missiles, coastal missiles, sea-to-sea missiles, UAVs, and more,” the IDF said in a statement Tuesday.
“The operation is still ongoing on the ground, with the IDF ground forces operating in the buffer zone. There, too, the IDF is working to establish a grip on the area, destroy weapons, and ensure that they do not fall into unwanted hands,” the IDF said.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Fighting escalates between Kurds, Turkey-supported group in northeast Syria
With focus still on the collapse of Bashar Assad’s government, there are signs fighting is dramatically escalating in northeast Syria. The area is held by U.S.-backed Kurds, while Turkey-supported rebel groups have gone on the offensive there, aided by Turkish airpower.
The Turkish rebels have attacked the territory controlled by the Kurds, who helped the U.S. defeat the Islamic State in eastern Syria. There are fears that Turkey — which has waged a long war against the Kurds and considers the U.S.-backed group to be a terrorist group — will use the chaos in Syria to now force them back.
There are reports the Turkish-backed rebels are now advancing on Kobani, an important Kurdish-majority town on Turkey’s border. It comes a day after the rebels successfully drove the Kurds from the key town of Manbij in northern Syria.
There are concerns that if Turkey and its rebel proxies press on against the Kurds it could endanger the containment efforts against the Islamic State. The Kurds currently guard 50,000 Islamic State prisoners in camps and are also essential to prevent the group regaining a foothold.
There are calls from some for the U.S. to warn Turkey to pull the rebels back.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
US will recognize, fully support a future Syria government
Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the U.S.’s “full support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition.”
“This transition process should lead to credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance that meets international standards of transparency and accountability,” Blinken said in a statement Tuesday.
“The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria. All nations should pledge to support an inclusive and transparent process and refrain from external interference. The United States will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process. We stand prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies,” Blinken said in a statement.
Blinken added that it must also “fully respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance to all in need, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that any chemical or biological weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed.”
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
New Syrian government begins to form
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels have begun to form a new government as they seize power in Damascus, Syria. The group has appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as the new prime minister, according to state media outlet SANA.
Al-Bashir has previously held leadership roles and he will run the new government until March.
Israel destroys Syrian navy fleet
Israel destroyed the Syrian navy’s fleet overnight in a “large-scale operation,” according to the Israel Ministry of Defense.
“The IDF has been operating in Syria in recent days To harm and destroy strategic capabilities that threaten the State of Israel. The Navy operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet with great success,” Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement Tuesday.
“I hereby warn the rebel leaders in Syria: Whoever follows Assad’s path will end up like Assad – we will not allow an extremist Islamic terrorist entity to act against Israel across its border and at the risk of its citizens, we will do everything necessary to remove the threat,” Katz said.
Israel focused on ‘Iran’s movements and interests’ in Syria, IDF says
Israel is focused on Iranian forces and interests in Syria as it continues strikes across the country, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said during a Tuesday briefing.
Israeli warplanes have launched hundreds of strikes all over Syria since Bashar Assad’s regime was toppled on Sunday, according to local reports. Israeli troops have also crossed into the demilitarized buffer zone between the two countries established in 1974.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani refused to go into details on “the nature of what we are doing and long-term plan of these operations,” which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said included strikes on naval assets and port facilities in the Mediterranean city of Latakia.
“This is something we’ve been committed to for years,” Shoshani said during the briefing. Israel is committed to preventing “lethal strategic weapons from reaching the wrong hands,” he added.
“The primary focus is observing Iran’s movements and interests and our secondary focus is on local factions who are taking control of the area, assessing their actions, behavior and deterrence level and ensuring they do not mistakenly direct their actions toward us,” Shoshani continued.
Shoshani repeated the IDF’s earlier denial of local reports that Israeli tanks were operating on the outskirts of Damascus. Israeli forces, he said, have been operating in the “Area of Separation” buffer zone between Israel and Syria and “in a few additional points.”
-ABC News’ Bruno Nota and Joe Simonetti
Assad made ‘personal decision’ to resign, Kremlin says
Syrian President Bashar Assad made a personal decision to resign and leave the country as rebel forces closed in on the capital Damascus, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
“It was a personal decision of Assad to withdraw from the process of service as the head of state,” Peskov said when asked if Russia played any role in Assad’s decision.
Peskov said Monday that President Vladimir Putin will grant Assad political asylum in Russia.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Israeli operation against Syria ‘needs to stop,’ UN says
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told reporters on Tuesday Israeli attacks and operations inside Syria are unacceptable.
“We are continuing to see Israeli movements and bombardments into Syrian territory,” Pederson said in Geneva, Switzerland. “This needs to stop. This is extremely important.”
Israeli leaders say the operations are intended to deny “extremist” groups access to weapons or territory that could be used for cross-border attacks into Israel.
Pedersen also said that the conflict in Syria is not yet over, pointing to continued clashes in the northeast of the country between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, which are partnered with the U.S. in operations against ISIS remnants.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Netanyahu in court for corruption trial
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in court in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to give evidence in his corruption trial, making him the first sitting Israeli prime minister to take the stand as a defendant.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies all charges, calling the trial a “witch hunt.”
“This is the opportunity to dispel the allegations against me,” Netanyahu told the court on Tuesday morning. “There is a great absurdity in the charges and great injustice.”
Netanyahu had long sought to delay or avoid appearing in front of the court. If found guilty, he could face 10 years in prison.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Morgan Winsor
IDF denies reports of Israeli tanks near Damascus
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday denied reports that Israeli tanks had been spotted on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, amid the nascent Israeli operation inside a border buffer zone separating the two nations.
Lebanese news network Al Mayadeen reported that Israeli armor advanced into the Damascus countryside, while other unverified reports suggested that Israeli forces occupied several villages south of the capital.
The IDF rejected the reports. “The reports circulating in the media about the alleged advancement of Israeli tanks towards Damascus are false,” an IDF official told ABC News.
“IDF troops are stationed within the buffer zone, as stated in the past,” the official added.
Israeli forces entered the border buffer zone over the weekend amid the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in Damascus. The area was demilitarized per a 1974 agreement between the two neighbors.
Israeli leaders say the deployment — and the ongoing nationwide airstrike campaign — is intended to prevent “extremist” groups using the country as a springboard for cross-border attacks.
Israel still occupies the Golan Heights plateau, which overlooks Damascus from the southwest. Israeli forces seized the strategic region during the 1967 war. Israel unilaterally annexed the area in 1981, a move recognized by the U.S. in 2019.
The vast majority of the international community still recognizes the Golan Heights as Syrian territory.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
US can engage with Syrian rebels despite terror designation, official says
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told journalists at a Monday briefing it is “obvious” that the U.S. wants to engage with Syrian rebel leaders including the head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which is designated as a terrorist organization in the U.S.
Miller said the U.S. has “the ability to engage” with proscribed terror groups like HTS and is also speaking with the foreign backers of such groups and intermediaries within Syria.
HTS has roots in al-Qaeda and its leader — Abu Mohammed al-Jolani — fought with al-Qaeda against American occupation forces in Iraq. Jolani is still subject to a U.S. $10 million bounty.
Miller declined to say whether the U.S. will engage directly with Jolani, but said: “We want to have conversations with the key groups inside Syria, either directly or indirectly. It’s obvious that HTS is one of them.”
“I’m not ruling anything in or out either way,” Miller added.
Jolani has sought to distance himself from his jihadist background in recent media and public appearances. The rebel leader said he is committed to a pluralist transition to a new government of national unity.
Israel conducts 310 airstrikes in Syria since Assad’s fall, watchdog says
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog said Tuesday that Israel has conducted around 310 airstrikes across Syria since the fall of former President Bashar Assad’s regime on Sunday.
The group — which documents war crimes and human rights abuses related to the Syrian Civil War and has generally been described as pro-opposition and anti-Assad — said the targets included Syrian airports, aircraft, radars, air defense systems, scientific institutions and weapons and ammunition depots.
SOHR said Israeli strikes have been reported all across the country, from Deir Ez Zor in the east to the coastal province of Latakia in the west. Israeli strikes have reportedly hit targets in major cities including the capital Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Daraa, SOHR said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar confirmed Monday that Israeli forces “attacked strategic weapons arrays, residual chemical weapons capabilities, missiles and long-range rockets” inside Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of “extremist elements.”
Syrian Civil Defence did not find detainees, hidden facilities in Sednaya Prison
The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said it had concluded its search for detainees within Sednaya Prison on Monday after failing to uncover any “unopened or hidden areas” within the facility.
The prison previously held thousands of people detained by the former regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Families of the missing and survivors believed that some detainees might have been unable to leave over the past two days, potentially due to being held in tightly sealed and secured areas, those close to the situation told the White Helmets, prompting the search.
“Specialized teams conducted a thorough search of all sections, facilities, basements, courtyards, and surrounding areas of the prison,” the White Helmets said in a statement. “These operations were carried out with the assistance of individuals familiar with the prison and its layout. However, no evidence of undiscovered secret cells or basements was found.”
The statement also called on international organizations and local authorities to support the efforts of the Syrian Civil Defence in uncovering the fate of the detainees and returning them to their loved ones.
“We share the profound disappointment of the families of the thousands who remain missing and whose fates remain unknown,” the statement continued. “We stand in solidarity with the victims’ families, fully understanding their anguish and their longing for answers about their loved ones.”
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Blinken addresses US response to fall of Assad regime
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said senior officials from his department are “fanning out through the region as we speak” to work with their counterparts on how the U.S. can “help support the Syrian people as they decide their own path for the future.”
“We have a strong interest in preventing the reemergence of ISIS, given the death and destruction that it has wrought for so long,” he said during remarks at an unrelated event on Monday.
Blinken noted that ISIS would seek to exploit the moment, and that U.S. strikes on ISIS sites over the weekend demonstrate that the U.S. is “determined not to let that happen.”
“We have a clear interest in doing what we can to avoid the fragmentation of Syria, mass migrations from Syria and, of course, the export of terrorism and extremism,” he said. “The region and the world have a responsibility to support the Syrian people as they begin to rebuild their country and charge a new direction.”
Blinken also said that with every party they engage with, he and other U.S. officials will continue to seek information on American freelance journalist and Marine Corps veteran Austin Tice, who went missing while covering the civil war in August 2012, “so that we can find him and bring him home to his family and loved ones.”
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
Top US hostage negotiator in Lebanon, official says
The special presidential envoy for hostage affairs is in Lebanon as the Biden administration tries to capitalize on the fall of the Assad regime to uncover information on the whereabouts of missing American freelance journalist and Marine Corps veteran Austin Tice, according to a U.S. official.
The envoy, Roger Carstens, was in Doha last week but traveled to Beirut when the Assad regime fell, the official said. The Biden administration is working through multiple partners in the Middle East — most notably Lebanon and Turkey — to track people coming out of Syrian jails.
However, U.S. officials say they still have very little intelligence on Tice’s whereabouts and can’t say with certainty that he is even in Syria.
Tice went missing while covering the civil war in August 2012.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
White Helmets offering reward for info on ‘secret’ Syrian prisons
The Syria Civil Defence, aka the White Helmets, announced Monday it is offering a $3,000 reward for any direct information that will lead them to Assad’s “secret” Syrian prisons.
The organization addressed former security officers and those working in the security branches for help in accessing the prisons, adding they will maintain the confidentiality of sources.
Turkey opening border gate with Syria for return of migrants
Turkish President Erdogan said Monday that Turkey is opening the border gate with Syria for the return of migrants.
Erdogan said they are opening the Yayladağı border gate to crossings “in order to prevent congestion and ease traffic.”
There were long lines at the border earlier awaiting this decision.
Germany and Austria pause Syrian asylum
Germany and Austria have paused asylum for Syrian refugees after Assad’s regime was toppled.
The German interior minister called the situation in Syria “very confusing” and that due to the unclear situation, they have “imposed a freeze on decisions for asylum procedures that are still ongoing until the situation is clearer.”
Nearly 1 million Syrian refugees live in Germany.
Austria’s interior minister has also instructed the ministry to “prepare an orderly repatriation and deportation program to Syria.”
Nearly 100,000 Syrian refugees live in Austria.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Parents of journalist missing in Syria hoping for positive news
Debra and Marc Tice — the parents of Austin Tice, a U.S. journalist and prisoner in Syria since 2012 — released a statement urging “anyone who can do so to please assist Austin so he can safely return home to our family” following the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime.
“We are watching the events unfold in Syria and seeing families reunited with their loved ones after years of separation,” said a statement released via the Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club.
“We know this is possible for our family, too,” they added. “Austin Tice is alive, in Syria, and it’s time for him to come home. We are eagerly anticipating seeing Austin walk free.”
Tice went missing while reporting in Syria in 2012. President Joe Biden said Sunday his return remains possible, though acknowledged that “we have no direct evidence” of his status. “Assad should be held accountable,” Biden added.
-ABC News’ Dee Carden
Assad’s fall ‘good for the United States,’ Sullivan says
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told “Good Morning America” on Monday that “it is good for the United States and the world that a murderous dictator whose family has ruled Syria with an iron fist for half a century is gone.”
Sullivan did, however, echo President Joe Biden’s warning that there is real risk that “terrorists, jihadists and other people who do not have the United States best interests at heart…could take advantage of this.”
“We are vigilant about that,” Sullivan said in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. “We are taking action to deal with that, and we’re prepared to work with anyone in Syria who wants a stable, inclusive, democratic future for that country.
Sullivan said that the U.S.’ top priority is “to protect the United States of America from the resurgence of a terror threat” emanating from Syria.
“That means holding ISIS down,” he added. “Don’t let them take advantage of this. Then there is the priority of making sure that our friends in the region are secure and stable — Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon — that these countries do not suffer from any kind of violent spillover effects from what’s happening in Syria.”
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Putin to grant Assad asylum in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin will grant political asylum to toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
“Of course, such decisions cannot be made without the head of state,” Peskov said, as quoted by the Russian news agency Interfax. “This is his decision,”
“We have nothing to tell you about Mr. Assad’s whereabouts right now,” Peskov said, adding there was no official meeting between Putin and Assad planned.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Israel bombed Syrian chemical weapons sites, foreign minister says
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters on Monday that Israeli forces “attacked strategic weapons arrays, residual chemical weapons capabilities, missiles and long-range rockets” inside Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of “extremist elements.”
Israeli forces have been striking inside Syria and occupying positions on Syrian territory in recent days, as rebel forces — some with roots in jihadist organizations — surged into major Syrian cities and precipitated the collapse of President Bashar Assad’s regime in Damascus.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday it had taken up positions in the demilitarized buffer zone between Israel and Syria established by a bilateral 1974 agreement.
Saar said the presence of “armed men” in the zone and their alleged attacks on United Nations positions there prompted the Israeli decision to cross the border.
Saar said Israeli deployments into the buffer zone are “targeted and temporary” and intended to prevent an “Oct. 7 scenario from Syria,” referring to last year’s devastating Hamas infiltration attack into southern Israel.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Dana Savir
Israeli forces cross into buffer zone separating occupied Golan Heights from Syria
Israel Defense Forces tanks and armored vehicles have entered the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria on Sunday night.
The move puts IDF troops in operations on four fronts in the Middle East, Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halevi said on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
The advancement into Syria comes after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to Islamist rebels.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision was made to “protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned positions,” according to AP.
The IDF has reportedly warned Syrian residents in five southern communities to stay home for their safety.
Israeli forces on Sunday also took over the Syrian side of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, according to AP.
Iranian foreign minister says he fears ‘renewed civil war’ in Syria
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi commented on the fall of Syria’s government during an interview on Iranian state TV on Sunday.
He said Syria’s ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, was “surprised” and “complained about the way his own army was performing.”
Araghchi also said Iran was fully aware of the situation in Syria through “the intelligence and security system of our country.”
Iran is monitoring the developments in Syria and is concerned about the “possibility of a renewed civil war or a sectarian war between different sects or the division of Syria and the collapse of Syria and its transformation into a haven for terrorists,” Araghchi said.
-ABC News’ Hami Hamedi and Ellie Kaufman
US strikes 75 ISIS targets in Syria
The United States launched dozens of against ISIS targets in central Syria on Sunday in an attempt to “disrupt, degrade and defeat” the terrorist group, according to the head of the U.S. Central Command.
CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement that 75 ISIS targets were hit in precision airstrikes Sunday in Syria. He said the mission was carried out by U.S. Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s and A-10s.
“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria. All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way,” Kurilla said.
Kurilla said the strikes hit known ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria.
During a speech at the White House on Sunday, President Joe Biden mentioned the U.S. strikes on ISIS targets in Syria. He said U.S. forces are also bolstering security at detention facilities in Syria where ISIS fighters are being held.
“We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capability and to create a safe haven,” Biden said. “We will not let that happen.”
