The Syrian rebel fighters declared a curfew in Damascus on Sunday, effective from 16:00 to 05:00 local time, following their capture of the Syrian capital that led to the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's government earlier in the day.
While most rebel fighters did not harm civilians, those not led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) grew increasingly reckless, with several reports of looting and arson at public institutions and shops.
"Damascus is still under curfew, so the city become much more stable compared to the daytime on Sunday. Violence such as the looting of the central bank and the presidential palace on Sunday afternoon has been brought under control," said Wang Weiwei, a reporter from China Media Group (CMG).
Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani, leader of the HTS, has arrived in Damascus and delivered a speech at the iconic Umayyad Mosque. His arrival is expected to start the power transfer process.
An UN official in Syria told the CMG that discussions about the power transfer were held between Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Al-Jallali and armed rebel forces in a hotel in Damascus on the day.
Al-Jallali will lead a transitional government in the coming months, as reported by The Guardian.
On the same day, Israel, taking advantage of the chaotic situation in Syria, has launched intensive air strikes across Syrian, including Dara'a and Quneitra, the Mazzeh military airport, the western suburbs of Damascus, and the Kafr Sousa district of the Syrian capital.
In Quneitra, areas bordering Israel witnessed the incursions of Israeli tanks and armored vehicles, which led to the death of one Syrian in a northern village.
"Damacus now is somehow empty, because curfew was imposed by the Syrian rebels. So only a small [group of people] is covering the whole city. There have been some violations by the rebels for some government institutions that have been looted and the leadership of the opposition says that they will put an end to this," said Hydar Kazwini, a reporter for China Global Television Network (CGTN).
"The Syrian prime minister, the one chosen by the Assad regime, said that he is ready to cooperate and he called all the ministries to start working in the educational sector, in the health sector, in the electricity and fuel and oil sector. All of them are starting to work now," Kazwini continued.
Curfew imposed in Damascus after rebel takeover
Curfew imposed in Damascus after rebel takeover
Curfew imposed in Damascus after rebel takeover
Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani on Tuesday urged the UN secretary-general and the Security Council to condemn the United States for inciting violence and threatening to use force against his country.
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Somali UN ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, who serves as the rotating president of the Security Council for January, Iravani accused U.S. President Donald Trump of openly inciting violence in Iran, citing Trump's post on social media platform Truth Social.
"This reckless statement explicitly encourages political destabilization, incites and invites violence, and threatens the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iravani said in the letter.
He also called on the UN secretary-general and the Security Council "to fulfill their Charter-based responsibilities by unequivocally condemning all forms of incitement to violence, threats to use force, and interference" in Iran's internal affairs by the United States.
Iran is also urging all UN member states to refrain from provocative and irresponsible statements or actions that violate the UN Charter, including the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Iran, the letter said.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Iran's mission to the UN accused the U.S. of trying to stage "regime change" in the country, using sanctions, threats, engineered unrest and chaos to manufacture a pretext for military intervention.
With U.S. officials repeatedly threatening to intervene, Chief Commander of the Iranian Army Amir Hatami has stressed that the Iranian armed forces are in a state of full readiness, warning that any miscalculation by "enemies" would trigger a decisive response.
Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has also said that the country will respond forcefully to any attack and "defend the country with full force and until the last drop of blood."
The United States virtual embassy in Iran on Tuesday urged U.S. citizens to leave the country.
According to media reports on Wednesday, the U.S. is withdrawing some of its personnel from its military bases in the Middle East as a precaution amid heightened regional tensions.
Qatar has also confirmed that personnel are departing U.S. bases there over "regional tensions."
Meanwhile, media reports quoted anonymous sources saying that Iran has warned neighboring countries hosting U.S. forces that U.S. military bases could be targeted if the U.S. intervenes in the ongoing unrests.
Iran calls on UN chief, Security Council to condemn U.S. for inciting violence
