Syrian Rebels Overthrow Assad Regime After 50 Years: What's Next
Plus, manhunt continues for the shooter of the UnitedHealthcare CEO
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📌 SYRIA’S FUTURE UNCERTAIN AFTER REBELS OVERTHROW ASSAD REGIME
A group of rebels declared victory in Syria over the weekend, after a stunning week-long offensive that brought an end to more than five decades of the Assad family dictatorship.
Government forces, backed by President Bashar al-Assad, surrendered as rebels captured Damascus. Reports confirm that Assad fled to Russia, and has been granted political asylum in Moscow.
As the rebels made their way into the Syrian capital, they were seen storming the presidential palace, toppling statues of the Assad family, and breaking out political prisoners from government-run jails.
This marks a dramatic turn in Syria’s 13-year civil war, a conflict that began with anti-government protests during the Arab Spring demonstrations. Assad's brutal crackdowns, including the use of chemical weapons, led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and displaced more than 14 million people (2/3 of the country’s population).
While Syrians across the globe celebrated the end of the dictator’s rule, Syria’s future appears uncertain as rebel forces — led by the Islamist fundamentalist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (or HTS) — take over.
HTS’s movement over a week. It had control of the northwest, then moved south. Via: WSJ
HOW WE GOT HERE
Last week, rebel forces launched a surprise attack on Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city. The swift and successful offensive revealed just how weak Assad's forces had become without strong support from allies like Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, who are all much weaker than they were last year, and have focused attention on other matters.
The rebels quickly moved south, capturing major government-controlled cities, before taking over Damascus. Many Assad forces didn’t even try to fight back; some were captured on camera changing out of their military uniforms into street clothes to avoid fighting.
Celebrations erupted as prisoners were freed, airports seized, and government strongholds toppled. Assad's retreat marks the end of a regime notorious for its iron-fisted and bloody rule.
WHO’S IN CHARGE NOW
HTS has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. since 2018. Its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, 42, is poised to be the next leader of Syria. Al-Jolani has recently tried to position himself as a moderate figure, including changing his attire, in order to be seen as more legitimate to international leaders. He even spoke with the New York Times last week.
Al-Jolani came up as a member of Al Qaeda, and helped create their terror affiliate in Syria, before breaking away from the group several years ago over differences in goals. He was also once close with the man who went on to found ISIS.
The goal of his party, HTS, is to establish a fundamentalist Islamist government in Syria, instead of a global caliphate (like al Qaeda and ISIS). Still, his views are raising concerns among Syria’s diverse religious minorities.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The prime minister of the previous Assad regime agreed on Sunday to transfer power peacefully to HTS. While many in the international community welcomed the end of a brutal dictatorship, uncertainty looms.
Historically, extremist groups taking power — like the Taliban in Afghanistan or Iran’s post-revolution Islamic government — have failed to deliver the freedoms they initially promised.
Regional tensions rise: Israel is taking precautions, fearing threats from the Islamist rebel groups along its border with Syria.
Its military captured a small piece of territory – called the buffer zone – on the Syrian side of its border in the Golan Heights. This buffer zone was established in a truce after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Israel told the Biden administration this is a temporary move, as they get a clearer view of the rebel groups’ intentions in Syria, and negotiate a deal with its new leaders.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Assad’s collapse offers great opportunities in the region and credited Israeli strikes on Hezbollah and Iran for weakening Assad’s allies. President Biden on Sunday similarly said that the U.S. and its allies weakened Assad’s government.
WHAT THE U.S. WILL DO NEXT
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday urged the U.S. not to intervene in Syria’s rebel takeover, writing, “LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED.”
Still, the US has some troops on the ground there fighting ISIS. Biden later said that American forces — 900 of whom are deployed in the country — had conducted dozens of airstrikes targeting ISIS camps and operatives in Syria in an attempt to stabilize the region.
The president also believes American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted while reporting in Syria 12 years ago, is alive and said, "We think we can get him back."
📌 STILL ON THE RUN: INVESTIGATORS PIECE TOGETHER CEO SHOOTING IN NYC
The NYPD released two new images on Sunday of a man they are calling a “person of interest” in the “brazen, targeted” killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan last Wednesday morning.
The images show the suspected gunman in the back of a taxi he took to the Port Authority bus station, where police believe he fled the city. Investigators continue to ask the public for help identifying and locating him.
UPDATES IN THE INVESTIGATION
On Friday, police reported they found a backpack the suspect ditched in Central Park. In it, they found Monopoly money and a jacket matching the shooter’s.
Former Washington, D.C., homicide detective Ted Williams told Fox News that the Monopoly money could be the "killer playing games with the authorities. [It’s] all part of a cat-and-mouse game” to show them that “he is in control, not them.”
His potential motive: Bullet shell casings from the crime scene were engraved with the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” — possibly referencing insurance companies’ methods for rejecting medical coverage.
BACKTRACKING THE ESCAPE
About 15 minutes after the Midtown shooting, the killer is believed to have hailed a cab on the Upper West Side. In that time, he reportedly rode an e-bike through Central Park and tossed his backpack.
The cab took him to the Port Authority bus terminal on 178th Street — more than seven miles from the shooting site — where he is believed to have left the state.
Still missing: The e-bike, the gun, and the suspect have not been located.
Police are still analyzing DNA and a partial fingerprint found on a Starbucks water bottle the suspect purchased before the shooting. Investigators are also examining a discarded “burner” cell phone found near the crime scene.
Upping the ante: Hundreds of detectives are working the case, and scuba divers searched a Central Park lake for evidence over the weekend. The FBI is now offering up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest, while the NYPD is offering $10,000 for leads.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 5 takeaways from Trump’s ‘Meet the Press’ interview (THE HILL)
📌 Daniel Penny defense may have been handed 'partial victory' with dropped charge (FOX NEWS)
📌 Trump says he can’t guarantee tariffs won’t raise U.S. prices and won’t rule out revenge prosecutions (AP)
📌 College enrollment is falling at a ‘concerning’ rate, new data reveals (GUARDIAN)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Syrians ransack Assad's private residence in Damascus after the regime's downfall (NPR)
📌 South Korea martial law fallout deepens as prosecutors close in on president, ex-defense minister (NBC)
📌 Ukrainian war dead reaches 43,000, Zelensky says in rare update (BBC)
📌 Romania election results thrown out after Russian interference claims (PBS)
📌 Australia synagogue fire condemned as clear act of antisemitism as police search for suspects (CNN)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Federal court upholds Tiktok ban/forced sale ahead of January deadline (AP)
📌 USDA orders testing across nation's milk supply amid rising bird flu cases (NPR)
📌 FDA may ban artificial red dye from beverages, candy and other foods (NBC)
📌 Bezos vs. Musk: Space tycoons with dueling visions for humanity's survival (AXIOS)
📌 Trump says he doesn’t plan to remove Fed chairman Jerome Powell (CNN)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 College Football Playoff bracket revealed: Oregon No. 1 overall, SMU gets in over Alabama (AP)
📌 Largest contract in sports history: Juan Soto to sign 15-year, $765 million contract with New York Mets (NBC)
📌 Stolen ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ are auctioned for $28 million (AP)
📌 ‘Moana 2’ cruises to another record weekend and $600 million globally (ABC)
📌 Former Real Housewife Brandi Glanville says doctors believe facial disfigurement could be from a parasite that ‘jumps around’ her face (PAGE SIX)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: DECEMBER 9
1934: The legendary NFL game dubbed the "Sneakers Game," saw the New York Giants, which swapped their cleats for basketball shoes at halftime, defeat the Chicago Bears 30-13 to win the NFL championship. The 9°F temperatures created an icy field, and the sneakers appeared to help.
1965: “A Charlie Brown Christmas” made its television debut, bringing Charles Schulz's beloved Peanuts characters to life on CBS.
1979: Smallpox, a disease with a staggering 30% fatality rate and responsible for an estimated 300 million deaths in the 20th century, was officially declared globally eradicated.
1983: “Scarface,” the iconic crime drama starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana, hit theaters.
1992: The separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was officially announced.