The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia had granted political asylum to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a decision it said was made by President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Assad's whereabouts and said Putin had not planned to meet with him.
Syrian rebels, led by the Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) coalition, which was affiliated with al-Qaeda, reached Damascus at the weekend and overthrew the Assad government following a nearly 14-year civil war. The overthrow of Assad, which was unthinkable two weeks ago, has raised hopes for a peaceful future but also raised concerns about the country's insecurity, which is still divided between armed groups.
Assad has been Syria's leader since 2000, succeeding his father, who was president for three decades.
Peskov said it is too early to say what the future holds for the Russian military bases in Syria, adding that it will be a matter for discussion with the new rulers in Damascus.
“All this is a matter that must be discussed with those who will be in power in Syria,” Peskov said, adding that there was “great instability” in the country.
Moscow has used Syria as a base to fly its military contractors in and out of Africa.
The Syrian government fell early Sunday morning. CBC's Briar Stewart breaks down what happened and what it could mean for the future of the country and the conflicts in the Middle East.
The PM is still at his post
Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali, who remained in office after the disappearance of Assad and most of his officials over the weekend, is now seeking to normalize the situation.
“We are working to make the transition period quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, adding that the security situation had improved since yesterday.
He said the government is cooperating with the terrorists, and he said he is ready to meet with the rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani.
Separately, Syria's war monitor said a top aide to Assad's brother, Maher, was found dead in his office near Damascus. An organization based in Britain, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said it is not clear whether Maj. General Ali Mahmoud, was killed or died by suicide.
Damascus was quiet on Monday, with life slowly returning to normal while many shops and public centers were closed. In the squares, some people were still celebrating.
The movement of people started again but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food shops.
There was little sign of a security presence, and Associated Press reporters saw several SUVs on the side of the main boulevard that appeared to have been broken into. In some places, small groups of armed men stood in the streets.
A video circulating online shows a tired military man with a gun trying to reassure residents of the Mezzeh area of Damascus that they will not be harmed.
Turkish Syrians go to the border
Millions of Syrians fled after the civil war broke out, with around three million settling in Turkey. Hundreds of Syrian refugees gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey on Monday, looking forward to returning home.
Many arrived at the border gates of Cilvegozu and Oncupinar in the morning, wearing pajamas and coats. Others camp near border crossings, warming themselves by makeshift fires or resting in the cold.
“I will go back to Syria now. Thank God, the war is over,” said 28-year-old Muhammed Zin, at the border town of Cilvegozu. He fled Damascus in 2016 and has been living and working in Istanbul.
Authorities set up a checkpoint five kilometers from Cilvegozu, allowing Syrians with sufficient documents to pass through the border gate, HaberTurk television reported.
Turkish officials now hope that a large number of Syrians will return voluntarily.
“We will continue our efforts to ensure that Syrians return safely and voluntarily and to rebuild the country,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday.
Hundreds of displaced Syrians were returning to Syria on Monday from Lebanon, with dozens of vehicles lined up to enter.
Sami Abdel-Latif, a construction worker and refugee from Hama who was heading to Syria to join his wife and four children, said that while Syria's future remains uncertain, “anything is better than Bashar.”
A buffer zone controlled by Israeli forces
Israelis welcomed the fall of Assad, who was a key ally of Iran and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, while expressing concern over what would happen next.
Israel has struck suspected chemical weapons sites with long-range rockets in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of rogue actors, the foreign minister said on Monday.
As Syrian rebels outline their vision for the country's future, The National breaks down what has dominated the war, and what the fall of the decades-old Assad regime means for Syria, the region and the world.
Israel says its forces temporarily seized a safe haven inside Syria from a 1974 accord after Syrian forces withdrew from the conflict.
“The only thing we are interested in is the security of Israel and its citizens,” Gideon Saar told reporters on Monday. “That is why we have attacked strategic weapons systems, such as the remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, so that they do not fall into the hands of extremists.”
Saar did not provide details about when or where the strikes took place.
An Associated Press correspondent in Damascus reported on airstrikes in the vicinity of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital, on Sunday. The airport had previously been targeted by Israeli jets, but it was not clear who launched the latest strike.
Israel has launched airstrikes in Syria in recent years, targeting what it says are military bases linked to Iran and Hezbollah. Israeli officials rarely comment on individual strikes.
Syria agreed to give up its chemical weapons in 2013, after the government was blamed for an attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of people. But it is widely believed to have kept some of the weapons and is suspected of using them again in later years.
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