As curfew lifts in Damascus, Syrians return to work after regime falls

Many Syrians got back to work on Wednesday as life in the capital slowly returns to normal following the ouster of former president Bashar Al-Assad and subsequent Israeli strikes that has pummeled Syria in one of the country's toughest campaigns in years.

In a statement, Syrian rebel groups said a curfew previously imposed between 4pm and 5am local time had been officially lifted. They encouraged residents to return to their jobs.

Assad fled the country over the weekend and was granted political asylum in Russia.

Private banks in Damascus opened on Tuesday according to instructions from the central bank, said Sadi Ahmad, who runs a branch in the upscale neighborhood of Abu Rummaneh. He said all his employees returned to work.

Shops also opened in the city's old Hamidiyeh market, where armed men and civilians were seen buying perfume and ice cream. A clothing shop owner, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said he hoped sellers would no longer have to pay bribes to security officers.

At Bakdash, a popular ice cream shop, a poster outside read: “Welcome to free Syrian rebels. Long live free Syria.”

Syrians across the city celebrated the fall of Assad, hoping to end the relentless demands for bribery that ruled many lives.

“Damascus is more beautiful now,” said Maysoun Qurabi, who was shopping at the market. “It has a soul, and people feel calm and secure.” Under Assad, she said, “the t -hunger and fear of people. The regime was strong.”

Shortly after the fall of the regime, Israel carried out nearly 500 airstrikes in Syria, claiming to have hit “most of the strategic weapons stores.” “

Israel said its forces had destroyed the Syrian navy and admitted it had pushed into a buffer zone inside Syria after Assad was ousted. But it was not clear if Israeli soldiers had gone beyond that area, which was established more than 50 years ago, and denied that they were advancing on Damascus.

But there were also signs of disorder. The United Nations said it continues to receive reports of looting of humanitarian aid supplies at UN warehouses and Syrian Arab Red Crescent warehouses, including around Damascus.

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Terrorists set fire to the tomb of Hafez Al-Assad: war monitor

Terrorists have set fire to the tomb of former Syrian president Hafez Al-Assad, a war monitor and local journalist said on Wednesday.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian journalist Qusay Noor told The Associated Press that the tomb was set on fire on Wednesday in the town of Qardaha, in Latakia province.

Hafez Al-Assad ruled Syria for 30 years until his death in 2000, when his son Bashar succeeded him.

The two ruled Syria with an iron fist and were blamed for a crackdown that left tens of thousands dead, especially in the central city of Hama in 1982, and in much of the country since the war civilian in 2011.

The world will be watching closely to see if Syria's new rulers can prevent revenge attacks after a civil war and decades of repression, often along sectarian and ethnic lines.

In his first short speech on state TV, the new interim Prime Minister Mohammad Al-Bashir appeared in front of two flags: the green, black and white flag flown by Assad's opponents through the ​civil war along with white flag with Islamic religious oath. in black writing, usually flown by Sunni Islamist fighters.

Security members of the rebel alliance in charge of Syria have taken over the airport, hoping for security, a sense of confidence and the legitimacy needed to resume flights out of the capital. town and from one of the three international airports in the country.

“Damascus international airport is the heart of the city because it is the gateway for international delegations and missions,” said Omar al-Shami, a security official with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group that led the shock offensive that led to the fall of Assad, to the Associated Press, calling it “the corridor for Syria to breathe.”

Al-Shami said that security was restored at the international airport almost 12 hours after the fall of Damascus. The groups entered the capital before dawn, and security members of the rebel alliance took control before sunset on Sunday. He said he hoped the airport would be operational in less than a week.

Anyone involved in torture, killing will be pursued

The top commander of the fighters who defeated Bashar Al-Assad said on Wednesday that anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees during Assads rule would be hunted down, and that amnesty was out. out of the question.

“We will pursue in Syria, and we ask countries to hand over those who fled, so that we can achieve justice,” Abu Mohammed Al-Golani said in a statement published on state TV's Telegram channel Syria.

During five decades of Assad family rule, Syria ran one of the most violent police states in the Middle East. Al-Golani, whose former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is the most powerful force in the country, must balance demands for justice from victims with the need for violence prevent it and get international support.

The new government has told business leaders it will do just that adopt a free market model and integration into the global financial system after decades of state control, the head of the Damascus Chambers of Commerce, Bassel Hamwi, told Reuters.

UN chief sees 'signs of hope'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there were signs of hope in Syria after rebel forces ousted Assad over the weekend.

“As we speak, we are seeing the reshaping of the Middle East… We are also seeing some signs of hope… coming from the end of the Syrian dictatorship,” Guterres said during his visit South Africa on Wednesday.

Guterres said the UN was committed to a smooth transition of power in Syria.

“It is our duty to do everything to support the various Syrian leaders to ensure that they come together, that they can commit to a smooth transition, an inclusive transition in which Syrians can to feel their presence,” Guterres told reporters. “The alternative makes no sense.”

Foreign officials are arrested communication with former rebelsalthough HTS is still designated as an international terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU and others.

In addition to the terrorism ban against the former rebels, Syria remains under the US, European and other financial sanctions imposed against Damascus under Bashar Al-Assad.