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December 8, 2024 (Sunday)

1.6 minutes to read

Armed conflicts and attacks

Senior Syrian government officials are reportedly in talks with the Syrian opposition and are preparing to defect.

(CNN)

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The rebel Military Operations Command says its forces have entered Damascus and are searching for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, whose whereabouts are unknown.

(CNN)

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Heavy gunfire is reported in Barzeh as rebel forces advance towards the city centre. Residents say power is out.

(BBC News)

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Syrian president Bashar al-Assad leaves the country on a flight from Damascus International Airport to an unknown destination.

(BBC News), (Al Jazeera)

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Rebel forces take control of Sednaya Prison and begin releasing thousands of prisoners, including many political prisoners.

(Barrons)

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Thousands of Damascene residents gather in Umayyad Square to celebrate the collapse of the Assad regime. The Syrian Defence Ministry building is reportedly abandoned.

(BBC News)

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Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali says he is not leaving Syria and will commit to a peaceful transition of power to the Syrian opposition. Al-Jalali also calls on rebel forces not to damage state institutions in Damascus or harm civilians.

(Axios)

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Anti-government forces say the Assad government has been overthrown as they take full control of Damascus.

(NHK)

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The Syrian Army says Bashar al-Assad's rule has ended and orders all of its troops to lay down arms and stop fighting.

(Reuters)

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Syrian rebels seize state television and announce to the nation that Bashar al-Assad has been toppled and a new government will be formed.

(Xinhua)

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Rebel forces enter the Presidential Palace.

(Al Arabiya)

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A video on X (formerly known as Twitter) shows Syrians tearing down posters of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani at the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

(Al Bawaba)

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Israeli tanks and troops enter Syria's Quneitra Governorate to reportedly establish a buffer zone, marking Israel's first crossing of the ceasefire line in 50 years.

(The Times of Israel), (Al Jazeera)

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Syrian regime forces reportedly surrender Deir ez-Zor to opposition forces, according to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.

(BBC)

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More statues of former Syrian president Hafez al-Assad are toppled across Damascus in celebration.

(Madhyama Online)

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Turkish security sources claim that 80% of Kurdish-held positions in Manbij have been taken by the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army.

(Türkiye Today)

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan threatens "appropriate measures" against Kurdistan Workers' Party-aligned rebel groups, and states that Turkey will never allow them control over any part of Syria or its government.

(Türkiye Today)

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Disasters and accidents

A Syrian Air Ilyushin Il-76T disappears from radar near Homs, Syria, after departure from Damascus International Airport.

(Tampa Free Press)

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December 7, 2024 (Saturday)

3.2 minutes to read

Armed conflicts and attacks

At least 20 people, including six children, are killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp in Deir al-Balah Governorate, Gaza.

(Al Jazeera)

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Six Pakistan Army soldiers and 22 Tehreek-e-Taliban militants are killed in clashes near the Afghan border.

(Reuters)

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A statue of former Syrian president Hafez al-Assad is toppled in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana.

(NBC News), (Barrons)

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Turkish-backed Syrian National Army forces conduct extensive drone strikes and artillery shelling on villages near U.S.-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces positions in Manbij, Aleppo Governorate, Syria.

(Motabaat), (Asharq Al-Awsat)

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The Military Operations Command coalition led by Tahrir al-Sham says that a military operation to capture Damascus is underway with rebels reportedly advancing on the capital on several fronts.

(The Jerusalem Post)

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Rebel forces capture the cities of Al-Dumayr and Yabroud and the town of Sa'sa' in Rif Dimashq Governorate as the Syrian Defense Ministry denies reports that its troops are abandoning positions in the Damascus countryside.

(Al Arabiya), (SOHR)

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Syrian security officials and Arab officials say that First Lady of Syria Asma al-Assad fled with her three children to Russia last week. However, amid conflicting reports, Syrian state television says that President Bashar al-Assad remains in Damascus.

(The Telegraph via Yahoo! News), (BBC News)

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The Syrian Armed Forces announce a complete withdrawal from the Daraa and Suwayda Governorates in order to reinforce Damascus.

(AP)

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Rebel forces capture the city of Al-Sanamayn in Daraa Governorate and also capture the city of Quneitra.

(First Post), (The Hindustan Times), (Al Arabiya)

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Rebel forces enter the city of Homs, eventually capturing the city after hours of urban warfare to oust Assad loyalists. Rebels also capture Homs Central Prison and release around 3,500 prisoners.

(Reuters), (Times Now), (Cedar News), (Barrons)

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More than 1,000 Syrian soldiers seeking refuge cross into Iraq through the Al-Qa'im border crossing according to Iraqi authorities.

(Iraqi News Agency)

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The U.S.-backed Revolutionary Commando Army takes control of the city of Palmyra in Homs Governorate following heavy fighting with pro-government forces. Rebels also capture the towns of Al-Sukhnah and Al-Qaryatayn in Homs Governorate.

(Yeni Safak)

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The Syrian Army withdraws from the cities of Al-Hasakah and Qamishli in Al-Hasakah Governorate, transferring control of the Kurdish-majority cities to the Syrian Democratic Forces.

(Anadolu Agency), (Yeni Safak)

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Iran begins to evacuate military personnel, diplomatic staff, and civilians from Syria amid rebel advances.

(The New York Times)

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The UN World Food Programme reports that the renewed conflict in Syria is estimated to displace around 1.5 million Syrians.

(Al Jazeera)

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Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says at the Doha Forum that his country is seeing a momentum build up for a ceasefire to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

(Al Jazeera)

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United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Otto Pedersen calls for an "orderly political transition" from the collapsing Syrian government to the Syrian opposition in order to end the conflict.

(AP), (Barron's)

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Arts and culture

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, reopens five years after a fire damaged the church.

(Reuters)

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Disasters and accidents

Two people are killed by falling trees in England and more than 1.5 million people experience power outages in Ireland and the United Kingdom as Storm Darragh hits the British Isles.

(BBC News), (Sky News)

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Five people are killed, four others are injured, and several others are missing in an explosion that destroyed several apartments in The Hague, Netherlands.

(BBC News), (Euronews)

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Law and crime

Prosecutors in Taiwan charge four soldiers with espionage, accusing the soldiers of passing photographs of Taiwan's military capability to Chinese agents in exchange for money between 2022 and 2024.

(DW), (The Standard)

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Politics and Elections

President Yoon Suk Yeol apologizes to the South Korean population, promising that he will not avoid legal sanctions or institute martial law a second time.

(The Guardian)

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Politics and elections

A vote to impeach South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol fails in the National Assembly due to a boycott of the vote by members of Yoon's People Power Party.

(AP)

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Over 100 Indian farmers march from Punjab to the capital city New Delhi to demand for the legal assurance of a minimum support price for all crops as well as loan forgiveness for farmers.

(DW)

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Punjab Police set up barricades and fire tear gas at the marching farmers as they enter Haryana, causing them to turn around and return to Shambhu, Punjab.

(Hindustan Times), (Anadolu Agency)

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Interim President and military junta leader of Burkina Faso Ibrahim Traoré dismisses Prime Minister Apollinaire J. Kyélem de Tambèla and dissolves the government.

(DW), (Irish Examiner)

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Former Workers' Party Secretary-General and longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament Low Thia Khiang announced retirement in politics ahead of the election, ending his 36-year involvement into politics since his debut in 1988.

(The Straits Times), (CNA)

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Science and technology

The Iranian Space Agency successfully launches the Simorgh rocket carrying two satellites and the Saman-1 space tug from the Imam Khomeini Space Launch Terminal in Semnan, Iran, the heaviest payload ever launched in Iran.

(DW)

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Sports

In association football, the Los Angeles Galaxy defeat the New York Red Bulls 2–1 to win a record 6th championship.

(AP)

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December 8, 2024 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Disasters and accidents

December 7, 2024 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arts and culture

Disasters and accidents

Law and crime

Politics and Elections

Politics and elections

Science and technology

Sports