Syria conflict – newest: Assad regime toppled as insurgent fighters seize management of Damascus

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that Syria’s new administration must be inclusive because Syrian people would now determine their own future.

In a press conference in Doha, Mr Fidan said Syrian people were not in a position to rebuild on their own and that international actors and regional powers had to act with prudence and preserve its territorial integrity, warning that terrorist organisations must not be allowed to take advantage of the situation.

Asked about the whereabouts of Assad, Mr Fidan said he could not comment on the issue but that he believed he was out of the country. He also said Turkey had no contact with Assad despite a call from President Tayyip Erdogan to hold normalisation talks.

US President-elect Donald Trump has said that Russia’s abandonment of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad led to his downfall, adding Moscow never should have protected him in the first place.

“Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by (President) Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

“There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place,” Trump wrote. “They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine … a war that should never have started, and could go on forever.”

Trump, who takes office on 20 January, added that Russia and Iran, Assad’s other main backer, “are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had left office and departed the country after giving orders there be a peaceful handover of power.

In a statement, the ministry did not say where Assad was now and said Russia has not taken part in the talks around his departure.

“As a result of negotiations between B. Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to resign from the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power.

“Russia did not participate in these negotiations,” the ministry said.

Moscow was extremely worried by events in Syria and urged all sides to refrain from violence, it said.

“We urge all parties involved to refrain from the use of violence and to resolve all issues of governance through political means,” the statement said.

“In that regard, the Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition.”

Tory shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel has warned that the situation in Syria could take a turn for the worse with one of the organisations behind Assad’s fall proscribed as terrorists by the UK.

Dame Priti spoke to Sky News’ Sir Trevor Phillips from a security conference in Bahrain where she said delegates felt “anxiety” about the unfolding situation.

She said: “It is too early to know how this is going to pan out. Ultimately this is about the Syrian people.

“I think this is how we work together to influence the right kind of outcome, putting the Syrian people first.”

Dame Priti added: “There is a degree of anxiety across this region, full stop.”

She also warned that Assad’s legacy could still have ongoing negative consequences.

“There are wider questions about Assad’s regime, his weapons stocks and supplies.

We have a responsibility with our close friends and allies in this region on how we can take forward a peace plan.”

While she acknowledged that the Syrian rebels have NATO ally “Turkey’s footprint” on their actions she also warned that there is still “a longstanding issue of Iranian proxies in the region”.

Former head of MI6 Sir John Sawers has said the fall of the Assad regime in Syria will be a “surprise” to UK intelligence services.

He told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “I think it was a surprise to everyone, it probably came as a surprise to Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which have been the main rebel group involved in this march on Damascus, I don’t think they expected to go so far so fast.

“I think we’re all surprised at how the regime forces have just completely collapsed, even those most loyal to the regime and closest to the regime.

“So, yes, it is a surprise, it’s not a failure of intelligence, it’s a surprise to everyone.”

He added it would be “rather ridiculous” if the UK was unable to engage with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) in Syria.

As Syrian rebels bring an end to the Assad family’s 50-year reign in Syria, Donald Macintyre looks at the man behind 12 years of civil war and bloodshed

The United States will continue to maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro has said.

Speaking at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain’s capital, Mr Shapiro called on all parties to protect civilians, particularly minorities, and respect international norms.

Iraq has evacuated its embassy in Syria and moved staff to Lebanon, the Iraqi state news agency reported.

The reasons behind the evacuation were not made public.

It comes as Syrian rebels stormed the Iranian embassy following their capture of Damascus, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.