So 13 years and at least 470,000 violent deaths is a peaceful transition of power these days. How droll.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali says that 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 to not damage state institutions in Damascus or to harm civilians. (Axios) 

And in other news, Zelensky doesn’t seem to be very good at math or propaganda or both or something.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in action since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and that 370,000 soldiers have been injured, while estimating the number of Russian casualties at 198,000 soldiers killed and more than 550,000 soldiers injured. (Politico) 

Iran finally had some luck.

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) 

And also, two people were killed in England by trees.

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)

Sunday, December 8th, 2024 

In professional baseball, the New York Mets sign Dominican outfielder Juan Soto to a $765 million, 15-year contract, the largest contract in Major League Baseball history. (Reuters) 

In auto racing, McLaren wins the World Constructors’ Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, its first title since 1998. (NBC News) 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria has “collapsed” and orders the Israel Defense Forces to occupy the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. (New Arab) 

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) 

Israeli forces take control of the towns of Madinat al-Baath and Khan Arnabah in Quneitra Governorate and also capture the Syrian side of Mount Hermon in Rif Dimashq Governorate. (Factjo) (The Times of Israel) 

The Israeli Air Force launches targeted airstrikes on ammunition and equipment depots at Mezzeh Air Base in Damascus and Khalkhalah air base in Suwayda Governorate. An Israeli airstrike also targets the Scientific Research Center in Damascus’s security zone, which oversees chemical weapons and ballistic missile programs. (Reuters) (Sada El-Balad) (Al Jazeera) 

The United States launches airstrikes on ISIL targets in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime. (The Telegraph) 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leaves the country on a flight from Damascus International Airport to an unknown destination. (BBC News)

A Syrian Air Ilyushin Il-76T disappears from radar near Homs, Syria, after departing from Damascus International Airport. Initial rumors speculated that the plane was carrying President of Syria Bashar al-Assad who was fleeing the country due to the fall of his regime after the Syrian opposition captured Damascus. However, Russia reports that Assad and his family are currently in Moscow. (Tampa Free Press)

Russian state media reports that Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow, Russia, and that he and his family have been granted asylum by the Russian government. (Euronews)

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

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

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

Rebel forces seize the Presidential Palace in Damascus, which is later looted by armed soldiers and civilians. (The Guardian)

Rebel forces take control of Sednaya Prison and begin releasing thousands of prisoners, including many political prisoners. (Barron’s) 

Thousands of Damascus residents gather in Umayyad Square to celebrate the collapse of the Assad regime. (BBC News) 

A video posted to X 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. Statues of former president Hafez al-Assad are also toppled across the city. (Al Bawaba)

Syrians abroad celebrate the collapse of the Assad regime, with rallies being held in cities across Europe. (The Guardian) 

Turkish security sources claim that 80% of Kurdish-held positions in the city of Manbij in Aleppo Governorate have been taken by the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army. (Türkiye Today) 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan threatens “appropriate measures” against Kurdistan Workers’ Party-aligned rebel groups, and states that Turkey will never allow these groups control over any part of Syria or its government. (Shafaq) 

Syrian regime forces reportedly surrender Deir ez-Zor to opposition forces, according to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. (BBC News) 

U.S. President Joe Biden praises the end of the Ba’athist Syria regime and announces that the U.S. will support Syria and its neighbors during Syria’s political transition. (CNBC) 

Turkish forces bombard positions in Syrian Democratic Forces-controlled areas in Al-Hasakah. (SOHR) 

The Syrian opposition takes control of the city of Jableh in Latakia Governorate. (Al Jazeera) 

At least 16 Palestinians are killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, including in Deir al-Balah and the Bureij refugee camp. (Al Jazeera) 

The Notre-Dame cathedral in Île de la Cité, Paris, France, reopens and holds its first public mass five years after a structural fire damaged the building and destroyed its spire. French President Emmanuel Macron and dozens of world leaders attend the reopening ceremony. (Irish Independent)

Three are killed after their fishing boat capsizes in restricted and hazardous waters near Lock and Dam No. 12 on the Mississippi River near Bellevue, Iowa, United States. (KSOM) 

South Korean National Police arrest former national defense minister Kim Yong-hyun and raid his home, alleging that Kim helped President Yoon Suk Yeol institute martial law. (DW) (Anadolu Agency) 

Former Ghanaian President and National Democratic Congress candidate John Mahama wins the presidential election as incumbent vice president and New Patriotic Party candidate Mahamudu Bawumia concedes defeat. (BBC News) 

Saturday, December 7th, 2024 

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) 

A United States court of appeals upholds the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which requires China-based company ByteDance to sell TikTok by January 19 or face an effective ban on operations in the United States. (CNBC) 

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

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. (BBC News) 

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) 

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 the city of Manbij in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. (Motabaat)

New Zealand Police presume that two Americans and a Canadian are dead after evidence suggests they fell while attempting to summit Mount Cook (Aoraki), suspending search operations. (CNN) 

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)

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. (Barron’s) 

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

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

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

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)

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) 

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)

Iran begins to evacuate military personnel, diplomatic staff, and civilians from Syria amid rebel advances. (The New York Times) 

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) 

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) 

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

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)

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)

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) 

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) 

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) 

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) 

Ghanaians vote to elect the President and the 275 members of the Parliament. (France24) 

Former Workers’ Party Secretary-General and longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament Low Thia Khiang announced retirement in politics ahead of the election. (The Straits Times) (CNA) 

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

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

Friday,  December 6th, 2024 

Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani says that his forces will not end their military campaign until Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is removed from power. (France 24) 

Egypt and Jordan both urge Bashar al-Assad and his family to leave Syria, saying that Assad can no longer stop the rebel offensive. (The Wall Street Journal) 

Russian and Syrian warplanes bombard rebel-held areas in Homs Governorate, killing at least 20 people. (BBC News) 

After capturing the town of Talbiseh and the city of Al-Rastan, rebel forces capture several more towns and villages in the northern countryside of Homs Governorate, Syria, reaching the town of Al-Dar al-Kabirah and approaching the outskirts of Homs. (Anadolu Agency) 

Syrian Army soldiers from the 8th Armoured Division in Daraa defect to the Syrian opposition as rebels launch attacks on pro-government checkpoints across Daraa Governorate, taking control of several towns, including Inkhil, Ghabaghib, and al-Jiza, as well as the city of Jasim. Rebels later claim near total control of the governorate. (Yeni Safak) 

Rebels take full control of the city of Daraa after agreeing to allow Ba’ath Party officials to leave the city with safe passage to Damascus, and also take full control of the mainly Druze city of Suwayda. (The Times of Israel) (The New Arab) (Anadolu Agency) (Newsweek) 

Jordan closes its border with Syria after rebel forces seize the main Nasib Border Crossing. (Reuters) 

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces take control of Deir ez-Zor and its airport following the withdrawal of pro-government forces. (Enab Baladi) (SOHR) 

Iraqi militias withdraw from the Syrian side of the Al-Qa’im border crossing on the border with Iraq. (Shafaq) 

Russia tells its citizens to leave Syria on commercial flights while they still can amid rebel advances in the country. (Al Arabiya) 

Turkey freezes the assets of deceased former commander of Tahrir al-Sham Abu Maria al-Qahtani, who was killed in April, to comply with the United Nations Security Council‘s policies. (Turkish Minute) 

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs advises its citizens to leave Syria and avoid all travel to the country indefinitely. (WION) 

Israeli drone strikes on the northern and western sides of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip kill at least 29 Palestinians. Israeli forces subsequently raid the hospital, killing four doctors. (CNN) 

A Russian missile strike kills ten civilians in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, and injures four others, including two children. Separately, a missile attack on an administrative building in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, kills two people and injures 16 others. (Reuters) 

The European Union and Mercosur trade bloc finalize a free trade deal in Montevideo, Uruguay, after 25 years of negotiations. (France 24) 

Millions of people receive emergency alerts in the United Kingdom as Storm Darragh prepares to make landfall over the British Isles. (BBC News) 

Twenty-six people are killed and 28 more injured after a collision between two minibuses in Brokoua, Ivory Coast. (AP) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko sign an agreement in Minsk, Belarus, offering security guarantees to Belarus including nuclear security and the possible use of Russian nuclear weapons in order to repel aggressions. (AP) 

Two people are injured in an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne, Australia. (DW) (The Australian Jewish News) 

Arubans vote to elect the 21 members of the Parliament. The Aruban People’s Party wins nine seats and the People’s Electoral Movement wins eight seats, neither parties achieving a majority. (Aruba Papers) 

An uncontested election is held for the President of Mauritius, with former minister of education and Labour Party representative Dharam Gokhool winning without contest. Robert Hungley is elected Vice-President. (Xinhua) 

The Constitutional Court of Romania annuls the first round results of the presidential election vote two days before the second round of the election. (The Washington Post) 

The End