Syria updates: Rebel groups to be disbanded, HTS leader says

Tom Fletcher, the UN's new humanitarian boss, warned on Tuesday that although the departure of Bashar Assad was good news it would not alleviate the suffering of millions of Syrians in need of assistance.

Speaking via video from Damascus, Fletcher told the UN Security Council: "Nearly 13 million people were facing acute food insecurity. The recent escalation has only added to these needs. More than a million people were displaced in less than two weeks."

Humanitarian aid to Syria was cut off this month as Islamist-led militia groups mounted their successful campaign to topple Assad after 24 years in power.

Fletcher told Security Council representatives that Syria's new rulers had "committed to what will be an ambitious scaling-up of vital humanitarian support."

Fletcher said the flow of aid had already begun to stabilize and urged donors to step up and support the Syrian people, noting that only one-third of this year's funding needs had been covered.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a security briefing inside Syria on Tuesday, said his country's troops would continue to occupy a buffer zone on the Golan Heights into the foreseeable future.

Netanyahu ordered Israeli troops to seize the area when Bashar Assad's regime suddenly collapsed last week under attack from Syrian rebel groups.

During the meeting, Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke of the importance of the area, saying, "the summit of Mount Hermon serves as Israel's eyes for identifying both near and distant threats." 

In a video statement filmed at the site, Netanyahu said Israeli troops would stay there "until another solution insuring Israel's security is found."

Tuesday's statement and Israel's occupation of the area was harshly criticized by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who called it a violation of the 1974 armistice that established the buffer zone between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. 

The US State Department on Tuesday said Washington is working with UN agencies to find answers and accountability for the Syrian people when it comes to mass graves being discovered after more than a decade of civil war. 

In Syria, Mounir al-Mustafa, deputy director of the search and rescue team known as the White Helmets, said his group has been told of at least 13 mass graves around the country, eight of them in the capital Damascus.

Stephen Rapp, a former war-crimes prosecutor, also arrived in Syria on Monday, joining groups such as the Commission for International Justice and Accountability and the Syria Emergency Task Force — both of which have meticulously gathered witness testimony and satellite imagery to corroborate claims of mass torture and killing — in an effort to find answers for bereaved relatives.

At least 150,000 Syrians remain unaccounted for and Rapp says the fall of Assad finally gives investigators the opportunity to "really corroborate what we already know about the machinery of death that was maintained and operated by the Assad regime." 

Rapp, who said the task of identifying those buried in mass graves could take years, told reporters, "It is all so unthinkable that this is happening in the 21st Century."

The US State Department on Tuesday said that a ceasefire between Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed, Kurdish-led group fighting near the northern Syrian city of Manbij, has been extended until at least the end of the week.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said: "We continue to engage with the SDF, with Turkey about a path forward. We don't want to see any party take advantage of the current unstable situation to advance their own narrow interests at the expense of the broader Syrian national interest."

Miller added that the US would like to see the ceasefire extended for as long as possible.

The SDF claims the only impediment to a cessation of hostilities is Turkey's unwillingness to accept key Kurdish demands.

"Despite US efforts to stop the war, Turkey and its mercenary militias have continued to escalate," said the SDF.

Observers fear that failure to secure a longer pause will lead directly to new fighting between SDF forces and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) near Manbij and the city of Kobani.

Turkey has used its own troops as well as proxies to gain control over a large stretch of land beyond its own borders to create what Ankara calls a buffer zone against Kurdish attacks. 

Ankara also hopes to use the area as a relocation area for millions of Syrian refugees who have fled to Turkey since the start of Syria's civil war.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced €1 billion in funding for Turkey to care for Syrian refugees it is hosting.

"An additional €1 billion for 2024 is on its way," she said at a joint news conference in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"As things evolve on the ground, we can adapt this one billion to the new needs that might occur in Syria," she added. 

Von der Leyen also highlighted the need for stability amid threats posed by the so-called "Islamic State" group.

"The lack of predictability demands utmost caution. The risk of a Daesh resurgence, particularly in eastern Syria, is real," she said, using an alternative name for the terror group.

"We cannot let this happen. And Turkey's legitimate security concerns must be addressed."

Several European countries said they were prepared to work with the interim government in Syria that is led by Islamist HTS rebels.

French special envoy for Syria Jean-Francois Guillaume visited Damascus on Tuesday to "make contact with the de facto authorities."

"France is preparing to be with Syrians for the long term" including the current transitional period, "which we hope will be peaceful", Guillaume told journalists.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy was also prepared to engage with the new leadership, albeit with caveats.

"The first signs seem encouraging but maximum caution is needed. Words must be followed by actions and we will judge the new Syrian authorities on their actions," Meloni said.

"The decisive element will be the attitude toward ethnic and religious minorities. I am thinking in particular about Christians, who have already paid a very high price and have too often been the object of persecution."

The UN humanitarian chief said on Tuesday that he was "encouraged" by a meeting he had with HTS rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani in Damascus a day earlier.

"Moment of cautious hope in Syria," Tom Fletcher said on social media.

Earlier, on Monday, he said seven out of 10 Syrians were in need of aid.

German diplomats will hold their first talks with representatives of Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The talks will focus on the transitional process for Syria and the protection of minorities.

"As far as one can tell, they have acted prudently so far," a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said.

"Syria must not become a play-thing of foreign powers, nor a testing ground for radical forces," the spokesperson added.

HTS and the interim government they appointed are being looked at. The potential establishment of a mission on the ground is also on the agenda.

"The possibilities of a diplomatic presence in Damascus are also being explored there," the spokesperson said.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that its embassy in Syria would reopen once the "necessary conditions" are met.

The country’s diplomatic mission in Damascus was vandalized following the ouster of Tehran ally Bashar Assad. 

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the reopening of the embassy "requires preparations," including ensuring the safety of embassy staff

Work to that end will be pursued "as soon as the necessary conditions are provided," he added, without providing a specific timeline.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to visit Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday to discuss recent developments in Syria with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The talks will focus on national unity in the country and the protection of minorities. 

The European Union last week announced plans to send almost 100 tons of health supplies and other essential items to Turkey for onward distribution to Syria by United Nations aid agencies.

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas announced on Monday that an envoy was on their way to Damascus to make contact with the new Syrian leadership.

The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was the main group behind the offensive that led to Bashar Assad's overthrow, is on the UN terror list and subject to EU sanctions.

The leader of the group that led the ouster of Bashar Assad has pledged that Syria’s rebel factions will be "disbanded."

In a meeting with members of the Druze community, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS), said the various groups joining hands to end Assad's 24-year tenure will "be disbanded and the fighters trained to join the ranks of the Defence Ministry."

"All will be subject to the law," he added, according to posts on the group's Telegram channel late on Monday.

Al-Golani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has looked to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that the country’s interim leaders will protect both the country’s entire population, as well as its state institutions.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he welcomed the Syrian caretaker government's commitment to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers.

"I also welcome their agreement to grant full humanitarian access through all border crossings; cut through bureaucracy over permits and visas for humanitarian workers; ensure the continuity of essential government services, including health and education; and engage in genuine and practical dialogue with the wider humanitarian community," Guterres said.

He called for the international community to rally behind the Syrian people as they "seize the opportunity to build a better future."

This comes following a meeting between UN aid chief Tom Fletcher and Syria’s new administration, meant to discuss scaling up humanitarian assistance in the country.

US-led efforts to secure a truce in the Kurdish area of northern Syria have failed, a Kurdish militia said.

The Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said this was due to Turkey's refusal to accept key points in the negotiations. 

"Despite US efforts to stop the war, Turkey and its mercenary militias have continued to escalate their war on Kurdish areas over the last period," the group said, also blaming Turkey for not taking the negotiations seriously.

Although the United States and Turkey are both members of NATO, the two are on opposite sides of this conflict, via their proxies.

While the SDF is an important partner for the United States in the fight against the so-called "Islamic State" group in Syria, Turkey sees the militia as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), which it classifies as a terrorist organization.

ftm/zc (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)