Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Syria라이브 바카라 government “had collapsed and control of the country is changing hands”.
Speaking at the Doha Forum in Qatar, Fidan said that “this didn’t happen overnight. For the last 13 years, the country has been in turmoil” since war began with al-Assad라이브 바카라 repression of democracy protests in 2011.
“Terrorist organisations must not be allowed to take advantage of this situation. Opposition groups must be united. We will work for stability and safety in Syria,” he added.
“The new Syria should not pose a threat to neighbours, it should eliminate threats.”
Turkey, which shares a 911-kilometre-long frontier with Syria, has been a main backer of opposition groups aiming to topple Assad since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. While Turkish officials have rejected claims of any involvement, observers believe that the offensive, which appears to be aligned with Turkey's long-time goals, could not have gone ahead without Ankara's consent.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the fall of al-Assad, a major ally of Iran, as an “historic day” and said it was a direct result of blows dealt to Hezbollah and Iran by Israel.
He said that Israel has seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria after Syrian forces abandoned their positions.
“We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” he added.
Beijing “is closely following the development of the situation in Syria and hopes that Syria returns to stability as soon as possible”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The Chinese government has actively assisted Chinese citizens who are willing to leave Syria in a safe and orderly way, and has maintained contact with … Chinese citizens who remain in Syria,” the ministry said.
“We urge the relevant Syrian parties to take practical measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in Syria,” it added.
“At present, the Chinese embassy in Syria is still holding strong, and we will continue to provide full assistance to Chinese citizens in need.”