Israel stated its intention to create a "sterile defensive zone" inside Syria's southern border, following a bombing campaign aimed at the Syrian navy, alleged chemical weapons sites and other military assets left behind by the Assad regime.
In northern Syria, Turkish forces bombed Kurdish targets, and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army clashed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are backed by the US.
The Turkish attacks on the SDF put into question the viability of the small US military presence in northern Syria as well as SDF-run prison camps where Islamic State (IS) fighters and their families have been held. US troops there operate in partnership with the SDF.
Charles Lister, the director of the Syria programme at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said: "The SDF has always made it clear that, if its existence was in danger, the prisons would not be the priority. US troops can only stay on the ground if their SDF partners are viable."
The Biden administration, with less than six weeks left to run, has been cautious in its response to events as a transitional government was named in Damascus.
Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, called for an "inclusive" political process in Syria, and said that US recognition would depend on the country's new government meeting those standards. "The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria," Blinken said in a statement.
Denne historien er fra December 11, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra December 11, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Police investigation into Post Office is of 'unprecedented' size
The police criminal inquiry into the Post Office has identified dozens of persons of interest so far, as a team bolstered to 100 officers investigates the actions of executives, legal teams and civil servants connected to the Horizon IT scandal.
Tories are in an echo chamber chamber with their leader set to self-destruct, luckily for Labour
It could have been Farage or Anderson asking the questions. Badenoch was hellbent on annexing the Reform agenda
Assad's downfall planned by US and Israel, claims Iran's supreme leader
Iran's supreme leader has claimed the US and Israel acted as the command centre that engineered the downfall of Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad, and the ousting of Iran from the country.
Islamic State Begum and 65 other Britons in prisons face uncertainty amid offensive
Shamima Begum and 65 other Islamic State-linked Britons detained in prisons and camps in north-east Syria face an uncertain future as Turkish-backed rebel groups continue an offensive against the Kurdish groups who guard them.
Golan Heights Druze population on Syrian border fear territorial battles
On the outskirts of the Druze village of Majdal Shams, high in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a gate in the fence leads to the supposedly demilitarised buffer zone on the Syrian side.
What will US do now? The risks raised by a hands-off approach
For a Biden administration in its final days, managing the downfall of Bashar al-Assad was not on the cards.
'Finally we can breathe' Country gets back to work after president is ousted
When Hayyan Maqsoud, the director of Syria's postal service, returned to work, the first thing he did was remove the portraits of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and his father, Hafez, from the walls of his Damascus office.
Bowel cancer cases in under-50s on the increase across the world
The number of under-50s being diagnosed with bowel cancer is increasing worldwide, according to landmark research that also reveals rates are rising faster in England than in almost any other country.
Gregg Wallace 'harassed young journalist with creepy texts'
Gregg Wallace is accused of sending inappropriate texts to a young female reporter asking her for \"a snog\" and leaving \"creepy\" voicemails after taking her number under the pretext of work.
Brief respite over after years of Tory jibes
Many civil servants breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the back of the Conservatives in July - a hoped-for end to long-running pay disputes, the looming axe of job cuts and a sense of chaos.
