Syrians search notorious jail for loved ones as rebels free Assad prisoners

A day after Syrian rebels captured the capital city of Damascus, NBC News’ Richard Engel spoke to residents in the city’s main square, who said the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime will bring the country “freedom.”

Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani today met with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, according to video distributed by the rebel group.

The video shows al-Jalali seated with three others, including al-Jolani, in an apparent attempt to demonstrate an orderly transfer of power after 13 years of civil war.

Al-Jolani is heard saying in Arabic that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group he leads, has “gained a great deal of experience.”

“You will see that they possess expertise and have achieved considerable success,” he added.

The video was distributed by SANA, Syria’s state news agency, which is now controlled by the rebels.

Oil prices rose by more than 1% on Monday after the fall of Bashar al Assad’s regime in Syria and amid increasing uncertainty in the Middle East.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures, the U.S. benchmark, gained 91 cents, or 1.35%, to $68.11 by 06:36 a.m. ET.

Brent crude futures, the benchmark used to price over three-quarters of the world’s traded oil and the international standard went up 84 cents, or 1.18%, to $68.04 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by 6:36 a.m. ET.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime presents “a historic opportunity” but also “carries considerable risks.”

“History shows how quickly moments of promise can descend into conflict and violence,” Blinken said. “ISIS will try to use this period to reestablish its capabilities to create safe havens, as our precision strikes over the weekend demonstrate we are determined not to let that happen and will continue to protect our personnel against any threats from any quarters.”

Blinken also said the U.S. has a “strong interest in preventing the re-emergence of ISIS” in Syria and that chemical weapons in the country do not fall in the wrong hands. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has pledged not to use chemical weapons and affirmed its commitment not to allow them to fall into irresponsible hands.

Blinken said statements from the rebel group are welcome, but “the real measure of their commitment is not just what they say, but what they do.”

“The Syrian people have endured so much suffering, we have work to do to ensure that they endure no more,” he said. “It’s imperative that all actors involved protect civilians, respect human rights, especially vulnerable minorities, preserve the state’s institutions and services, help meet the needs of the Syrian people and to build toward inclusive governance.”

Qatar is condemning Israel’s ground incursion into Syria and seizure of the Golan Heights buffer zone.

Following the downfall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Israel carried out strikes and launched a ground incursion into Syria. The Israeli government said it was a temporary measure to prevent chemical and biological weapons from getting into the wrong hands. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the assault against Assad along with other groups, has pledged not to use chemical weapons or allow them to fall into irresponsible hands, according to a statement.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement the move is “a dangerous development and a blatant attack on the sovereignty and unity of Syria,” as well as “a flagrant violation of international law.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that the policy of imposing a fait accompli pursued by the Israeli occupation, including its attempts to occupy Syrian lands, will lead the region to more violence and tension,” the ministry said on X, further calling on

The ministry called on the international community to confront Israel on its recent actions in Syria and reiterated its support for the country’s sovereignty.

U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens is in Beirut, Lebanon, as part of intensive efforts to bring journalist Austin Tice home, a U.S. official with direct knowledge tells NBC News.

The U.S. is reaching out to anyone in Syria or the region who is able to help, the official said.

Tice, a former U.S. marine, is believed to have been detained by the government of Bashar al-Assad in 2012 while he was in Syria to cover its lengthy conflict. The Syrian Foreign Ministry denied kidnapping or holding any American citizen on its territories in 2022.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, one of the groups responsible for toppling the Assad regime, has pledged not to use chemical weapons or allow them to fall into the wrong hands.

The Department of Political Affairs Administration of the Liberated, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, said the Assad regime used chemical weapons against the Syrian people “dozens of times,” resulting in thousands of deaths.

“We clearly affirm that we have no intention or desire to use chemical weapons or any weapons of mass destruction under any circumstances,” the group said. “We consider the use of such weapons a crime against humanity and will not allow any weapon to be used against civilians or be transformed into a tool of revenge or destruction.”

The group also said it is working to secure the weapons and military sites belonging to the former regime and will not allow them “to fall into irresponsible hands.”

Following the downfall of the Assad regime, Israel carried out strikes and launched a ground incursion into Syria in what the Israeli government said was a temporary measure to prevent chemical and biological weapons from getting into the wrong hands. The country seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria.

During a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden, King Abdullah II of Jordan expressed the need to “ensure stability” in Syria.

According to a statement from the Royal Hashemite Court, Abdullah also spoke to Biden about the current situation in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

“His Majesty also called for intensifying international efforts to stop the Israeli war on Gaza and ensure the delivery of relief aid to the Strip, noting the importance of working to ensure the success of the ceasefire in Lebanon,” the statement read. “His Majesty warned of the danger of violent acts by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, and violations of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.”

‘So many people deemed dead  — they are alive’

For years, Abdulaziz Almashi believed one of his close relatives was dead, only to find out he had been languishing in prison for more than a decade.

“A young boy spending years of his youth in a prison — in Assad’s prisons, which is a different type of prison,” Almashi, a Syrian refugee in London who founded the organization Syria Solidarity Campaign, said of the facilities known for torture and killings.

Almashi, 39, said authorities told his family his second cousin had been killed during mandatory military service, leaving them to believe their loved one had died fighting for Assad. But in the wake of Assad’s toppling, he emerged free, now in his 30s, from one of Syria’s prisons, emaciated and weary after a devastating yearslong ordeal but very much alive to the shock of his loved ones.

“How dare you call someone’s mom and dad and family when they call to ask about their son and you tell them, ‘Oh, he died on the battlefield,'” Almashi said. “It doesn’t make sense how on earth these people are living with us; how on earth these people are Syrians.”

Almashi said his family is far from alone in its harrowing ordeal.

“So many people deemed dead  — they are alive,” he said.

Syrian opposition figh ters stand at the entrance of the ransacked Iranian embassy in Damascus yesterday.

Looted offices inside the embassy.

A man steps on a Syrian regime flag next to Iranian national flags in a ransacked office at the embassy yesterday.

Hamas congratulated the Syrian people on “their success in achieving their aspirations for freedom and justice,” in a statement on Telegram after Assad’s regime was toppled.

Hamas called upon “all components of the Syrian people to unite their ranks” and for “national cohesion” among the Syrian people.

Hamas is a U.S.-designated terrorist group that carried out the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel.

The Syrian Parliament has pledged resources to the country’s new administration following the fall of the Assad regime.

Parliament added in a statement that the will of the Syrian people “stands above all else,” and that it will “support the people’s desire to build a new Syria with a bright future where the law and justice prevail for all, without discrimination.”

“We dedicate our resources to serve our great people as they strive to build a prosperous future, committed to their free will as they move toward a better tomorrow, led by those who liberated them toward a rising Syria,” the statement read.

It was unclear how the Syrian Parliament was working with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other groups that led the assault against former President Bashar al-Assad.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is urging Syria’s new regime to fulfill obligations not completed by Bashar al-Assad during his presidency.

Syria entered the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 under the Assad regime, barring the administration from developing, producing, acquiring, stockpiling, retaining, transferring or using chemical weapons, according to the organization. Syria is also required to disclose its chemical weapons and related facilities to the watchdog group.

For the past 11 years, the organization says, “use of toxic chemicals as weapons has been documented and investigated by the OPCW Technical Secretariat, as well as other independent international investigative bodies.”

The Secretariat reached out to Syria to remind it of its obligation as a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and is “closely monitoring the situation,” it said.

For much of its 13 years, the horrors of Syria’s grinding civil war felt unending. Now, after just 11 days, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is gone.

However, this is far from a quick, simple fix. The rebels who toppled Assad are led by a group that the United States and others regard as a terrorist organization. And they reclaim a Syria deeply scarred by more than a decade of war — with no clear path to what happens next or how it might be governed.

“There is undoubtedly justified optimism in Syria today,” one analyst told NBC News. “What is simultaneously true is that Syria remains fragile and faces an uncertain future.”

After Syrian rebels took control of Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Israel carried out strikes and launched a ground incursion into Syria in what the Israeli government says is a temporary measure to prevent chemical and biological weapons from getting into the wrong hands.

Israel seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria.

Teams continue to investigate allegations of a secret compartment in Sednaya Military Prison this morning, after armed groups opposing Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime took control in Damascus.

A curfew will start at 5 p.m. local time and last until 5 a.m. as Syrian rebels work to strengthen their control over the country, the Syrian Ministry of Information said today.

The Syrian Ministry of Information has not specified how long the 12-hour curfew will remain in effect.

It will apply to the capital, Damascus, and its surrounding areas, as well as the cities of Latakia and Tartus in western Syria. Emergency services, including doctors, ambulance teams, fire services, and internal security forces, are exempt from the curfew.

Those who violate the curfew will face a one-month prison sentence, the Ministry of Information’s added in the statement.

Syria’s ambassador to Russia, Bashar Jaafari, told Russian state media RT that Assad’s escape was “shameful and humiliating.”

Maya Manna, head of RT Arabic, posted on Telegram that Jaafari described Assad’s government as a “corrupt system” which failed “in a matter of days,” highlighting the “unpopularity and lack of support” of the regime within both the Syrian military and society at large.

The Syrian ambassador to Russia added the “shameful and humiliating escape of the head of this system” reflects a lack of “national responsibility to the country” and “confirms the need for the changes that have taken place,” according to Manna’s Telegram channel.

There is “hope for a better future” in the country, the Syrian ambassador to Russia added, according to the social media post.

Powerful images have emerged showing people, including women and children, being freed from prisons across the country after the toppling of Assad, whose brutal regime saw hundreds of thousands of political prisoners disappear into jails where many faced torture and death.

And while Assad was in Moscow having fled the country, one facility known as the “human slaughterhouse” was being searched for signs of secret underground cells.

A viral video posted on social media yesterday and verified by NBC News shows dozens of luxury cars allegedly belonging to Bashar al-Assad.

The cars are parked in a garage in western Damascus, near the Syrian capital’s presidential palace.

A portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is displayed on the side of a burning government building in Damascus this morning.

Syria’s White Helmets group is offering a $3,000 reward for “anyone who provides information that helps locate secret prisons and detention centers where detainees are held.”

The volunteer relief group formally known as Syrian Civil Defense made a direct appeal to “former security officers and those working in the security branches to help reach these secret prisons,” in a post on X today.

The group emphasized the critical importance of this contribution and assured anyone who provided information would be “guaranteed” confidentiality.

The organization expressed its “full solidarity with the families and relatives of the victims” and urged families waiting for updates to “be patient and not to dig in the prisons or tamper with them” as doing so could harm the search.

The general command of the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS, has issued new directives which ban any intervention in women’s clothing.

“Imposing any requests related to their attire or appearance, including requests for modesty, is strictly prohibited,” reported the Syrian state newspaper, which is now controlled by HTS.

“We affirm that personal freedom is guaranteed for all, and that respecting individual rights is the foundation for building a civilized nation,” the newspaper quoted the general command.

The command issued another directive saying it was forbidden to approach any military areas and police stations “to ensure security and stability.”

Celebratory gunfire echoes around Syria’s capital, Damascus

The sound of gunfire drowned out the noise of the traffic in Umayyad Square in central Damascus, after 50 years of Assad family rule came to an end.

The presence of Israeli forces in Syrian territory is temporary and out of precaution, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters today as the Israeli military moved to seize the entirety of the buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights.

“I emphasize it is a very limited and temporary step, we took from security reasons,” he said.

His comments came as Israel launched strikes on parts of Golan Heights it has annexed, with Saar saying the military was attacking weapon sites, including those with suspected chemical weapons.

Chants of ‘freedom’ on drive to Damascus as proud Syrians celebrate toppling Assad

Reporting from Damascus, Syria

Syrians are proud of this new dawn, and still in disbelief that Assad is really gone.

As NBC News entered Syria this morning from neighboring Lebanon, pictures of the Assad family were defaced at the border crossing. On the drive to the capital, we passed boys on an abandoned government tank cheering, “Huriya,” Arabic for “freedom.”

Syria now has a new hope, new possibilities and significant challenges as the map of the Middle East is being redrawn by the hour.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said most of the Cabinet members present in Damascus are working for a smooth transition of power.

“We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV station today, The Associated Press reported.

Jalali said he is ready to meet with the leader of the insurgents and head of the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Volker Turk, United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said today that the political transition in Syria must “ensure accountability for perpetrators of serious violations.”

He told a news conference that it was “essential that the human rights of all Syrians are at the core of such a process.”

He also highlighted the need for “meaningful and inclusive participation,” particularly from women and young people, in the transition of power post-Assad.

After “decades of brutal repression and nearly 14 years of relentless conflict,” there is now an opportunity for Syria to build a future “grounded in human rights, freedom, and justice,” he said.

A young girl waits to cross into Syria from Turkey at the Oncupinar border gate, near the town of Kilis, in southern Turkey this morning. Civilians haul luggage toward the Cilvegozu border gate, near the town of Antakya in Turkey this morning, as they cross into Syria.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to meet today after Russia called for an emergency session over the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.

Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said in a post on a Telegram that the meeting would be held behind closed doors this afternoon in New York.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “Most everyone in the international community was surprised with the rapid collapse of Bashar Assad’s rule over Syria, as well as how quickly rebel forces seized control of the country.”

Syrians at home and abroad are rejoicing after the toppling of Assad’s brutal regime, with many forced to flee as refugees anxious to return to their homeland and be reunited with their loved ones.

“As soon as they open the airport, I will be there and I will kiss the soil of Syria,” Salem Alaya, who fled from Syria to Britain as a refugee in 2014, said in a phone interview this morning.

Rae Wang and Seyed Ismail Nafeesa

Reporting from Beijing and Hong Kong

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said today China was “closely monitoring developments in the Syrian situation.”

“We hope all relevant parties will prioritize the fundamental interests of the Syrian people and find a political solution to restore stability in Syria as soon as possible,” she said at a regular news briefing.

China had earlier said its embassy in Syria was still operational and providing assistance to its nationals trying to leave the country.

President-elect Donald Trump defended two secret meetings that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence, had with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator who fled the country yesterday as rebels captured the capital, Damascus.

Asked whether he had concerns about those meetings, which took place in 2017, Tr ump said no, citing his meetings as president with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, although those meetings were public.

“But look, people meet. All these people meet. I mean, I see some of the most dishonest people,” Trump said yesterday in an interview with Kristen Welker, moderator of NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”

Lawmakers, intelligence officials, rights activists and others have expressed deep misgivings about Gabbard, who has been accused of echoing propaganda spread by Russia and the Assad regime, being nominated as the country’s highest-ranking intelligence official.

Last week, almost 100 former diplomats, national security officials and intelligence officials wrote a letter urging Senate leaders to “carefully evaluate” whether Gabbard is “equipped” for the position, which requires Senate confirmation. A spokesperson for Gabbard dismissed the criticism as unfounded.

A military tank abandoned by the Syrian army is driven through Damascus’ Zablatani district today, after rebel forces took control of the capital.

The Kremlin, without explicitly confirming that Assad was granted asylum by Moscow, said today that such a move would have to be approved by Vladimir Putin personally.

“Such decisions cannot be made without the head of state, and it is his decision,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked if the Russian president had granted Assad asylum.

The fall of Assad’s regime has also thrown into question Russia’s long-time presence in the country. “What happened surprised the whole world and we are no exception here,” Peskov said.

Civil defense workers from Syria’s White Helmets have said that they have not yet found any secret cells in Assad’s notorious Saydnaya prison, as they search the site amid fears detainees may be held underground.

The White Helmets are a volunteer relief group formally known as Syrian Civil Defense that operates in Syria and Turkey. They say they are working with people familiar with the prison, and residents who claim to know the locations of hidden entrances and basements.

Despite this, currently “there is no evidence confirming the presence of detainees in the basements or cellars of the prison,” the group said this morning.

They add that they will continue the thoroughly search all areas using “searching tools, sound sensors” and “trained dogs” to assist in the search.

Iran’s intelligence services were fully aware about the rebels and their information had been shared with the Assad’s government, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Iran’s state news agency IRNA last night.

“If the Syrian army had resisted, even Aleppo would not have fallen,” he said.

“What was surprising was the inability of the Syrian army to confront the movement of the armed groups, and the second was the speed of the movements,” he added.

Meanwhile a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran has established a direct line of communication with rebels within Syria’s new leadership in an effort to “prevent a hostile trajectory” between the two countries.

“This engagement is key to stabilize ties and avoiding further regional tensions,” the senior official said.

The Syrian embassy in Moscow is flying the flag of the opposition today after lowering its existing flag following the sweeping takeover by rebel forces, according to the Russian state news agency TASS and photos on news agencies.

The opposition’s green-white-black tricolor flag replaced Assad regime’s red-white-black tricolor.

The Israeli military has struck suspected chemical weapons and long-range weapons sites in Syria, foreign minister Gideon Saar told reporters today.

“The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens,” he said. “That’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.”

His comments came amid Israeli bombardment of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights where plumes of spoke rose over the Syrian Governorate of Quneitra.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said yesterday he ordered the Israeli military to take full control of the buffer zone with Syria in Golan Heights.

Katz said he took the decision alongside his boss Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We are here to clearly state our determination to ensure the security of the Golan Heights communities,” he said in a post on X.

The HTS rebels that led the assault have maintained that they are willing to cooperate with the international community regarding these weapons and to provide guarantees against their use.

The U.S. ordered dozens of “precision airstrikes” against ISIS camps and operatives throughout Syria yesterday, Central Command said.

More than 75 strikes were carried out against Islamic State-related targets in an effort to degrade its capabilities and prevent ISIS from taking advantage of the current situation in Syria. The Air Force used a variety of aircraft, including B-52s, F-15s and A-10s.

Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said all groups in the area should be aware the U.S. will act “if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.”

“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in central Syria,” he said.

Assad relinquishes control of Syria after rebel groups take Damascus and all the latest from the region.