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President Biden celebrated the historic fall of Syria’s Assad regime while expressing caution about the future leadership’s extremist ties.
Speaking from the White House, Biden acknowledged the monumental shift in Syria’s political landscape, highlighting the Assad regime’s decades of brutality against its citizens.
Assad’s government has fallen. There are going to be a lot of dead Christians in Syria. Meanwhile Americans and Europeans are celebrating his government’s demise because they’ve been so brainwashed by the media. Good times. pic.twitter.com/LnPgCTEuNY
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 8, 2024
The dramatic collapse occurred when Syrian opposition forces, spearheaded by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), captured Damascus. Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali, the former Prime Minister, has been appointed to lead an interim administration during the transition period.
“At long last, the Assad regime has fallen. This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians,” Biden said from the White House.
The president addressed the complex reality of the situation, noting that while Assad’s fall represents justice, the rebel groups’ history raises concerns. “Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” Biden said. “We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days.”
The administration believes Assad remains alive, possibly in Moscow, as claimed by Russian sources. Biden emphasized America’s commitment to preventing Syria from becoming an ISIS stronghold, noting recent US military strikes against the terrorist organization following the regime’s collapse.
The president outlined several policy priorities, including regional cooperation with neighboring countries and support for Syria’s transition through UN-led processes. He also stressed the importance of securing American journalist Austin Tice’s release after his 12-year captivity.
My INSTANT reaction to the fall of the Assad regime, and what it means pic.twitter.com/RJZ5lU6ZPU
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 8, 2024
Biden attributed the regime’s fall to the weakening of its traditional supporters – Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia. “For the first time ever, neither Russia nor Iran or Hezbollah could defend this abhorrent regime in Syria. This is a direct result of the blows that Ukraine [and] Israel have delivered upon their own self-defense with unflagging support of the United States.”
The insurgents’ success largely stemmed from the reduced capability of Assad’s allies, with Russia focused on Ukraine and Iran and Hezbollah facing challenges from Israel, creating an opportunity for the rebels to revive their offensive and end the Assad family’s 53-year rule.
