BEIRUT – The Syrian embassy in Lebanon suspended consular providers on Saturday, a day after two family members of deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad had been arrested at Beirut airport with allegedly falsified passports.
Also on Saturday, Lebanese authorities handed over dozens of Syrians – together with former Syrian military officers underneath Assad – to new Syrian authorities after they had been caught illegally getting into Lebanon, a struggle monitor and Lebanese officers mentioned.
The embassy introduced on its Facebook web page that consular work had been suspended “till additional discover” by order of the Syrian Foreign Ministry. The announcement didn’t present a purpose for the suspension.
Two Lebanese safety officers, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly, mentioned the suspension was ordered as a result of passports belonging to Assad’s family members – the spouse and daughter of considered one of his cousins - the embassy was falsified.
Assad’s uncle, Rifaat Assad – who has been indicted in Switzerland on fees of struggle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity – had left the day earlier than along with his actual passport and had not been stopped, officers mentioned.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Saturday that 70 Syrians, together with former military officers, had been handed over by a Lebanese safety delegation to the safety forces of the brand new Syrian authorities, led by the previous insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. Three Lebanese judicial officers, talking on situation of anonymity, confirmed the information.
Countries within the area have been fast to determine ties with Syria’s new rulers. Delegations of Libyan and Bahraini officers arrived in Damascus on an official go to on Saturday.
HTS chief Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously often known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, largely succeeded in calming fears inside and outdoors Syria that his group might unleash collective punishment in opposition to the communities it supported Assad’s authorities or tried to impose strict Islamic regulation on the nation. non secular minorities.
However, in current days, sporadic clashes have damaged out between HTS-led safety forces and pro-Assad armed teams. The nation’s new safety forces have launched a sequence of raids in opposition to officers affiliated with Assad and arrange checkpoints in areas with a big inhabitants of the Alawite non secular minority to which the previous president belongs to seek for weapons.
Tensions and clashes are additionally ongoing in north-eastern Syria between Kurdish-led forces and armed teams supported by Türkiye. Many Kurds have regarded ahead to Damascus’ new order, which seems to have strengthened Türkiye’s energy in Syria.
Ankara views the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — a key U.S. ally within the battle in opposition to Islamic State — as an affiliate of its sworn enemy, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which it classifies as a terrorist group.
The U.S. State Department mentioned Saturday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to “focus on the newest developments in Syria.”
“Secretary Blinken emphasised the necessity to assist a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political course of that defends human rights and prioritizes inclusive and consultant authorities,” the assertion learn, including that “in addition they mentioned the shared purpose of forestall terrorism from endangering the nation.” safety” of Türkiye and Syria.
On Saturday, a whole bunch of protesters known as by Kurdish ladies’s teams attended an indication within the northeastern metropolis of Hasaka to demand ladies’s rights within the new Syria.
Perishan Ramadan, a Hasaka attendee, mentioned the brand new authorities “is worse than Bashar” and that its leaders are Islamic extremists who “do not settle for any position for ladies.”
While the nation’s new leaders haven’t tried to impose Islamic gown or different conventions, it stays to be seen what position ladies could have within the new order and whether or not they may maintain political or authorities positions.
“Women have to be current in Syria’s new structure,” mentioned Rihan Loqo, spokesperson for the ladies’s group Kongra Star. “…Women’s rights shouldn’t be ignored.”
Associated Press writers Hogir Abdo in Hasaka, Syria, and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
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