Cuban press confirms fall of al-Assad
Armed groups overthrow the government of Syria
Citing the Cuban international network of news agencies, Prensa Latina, the Cuban daily Granma, the official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, confirmed on December 8 the fall of the Syrian government. An article written by the international desk of the Cuban daily, “Armed groups overthrow in Syria the government of President Bashar al-Assad,” was published in the early morning hours, with an update at 7:24 a.m.
The article reported that the Syrian Prime Minister, Mohamed Ghazi al-Jalali, went during the morning of December 8 to the Four Season hotel, escorted by militiamen of the jihadist alliance Hayat Tahrir al Shams (HTS, Organization for the Liberation of the Levant), to formally deliver power to said coalition. The Prime Minister declared to Alarabiya News television that he did not know the whereabouts of al-Assad.
The Granma article noted that HTS controls large parts of the country, including the cities of Hama, Alepo, and Homs. It reported that the Syrian army and forces of security surrendered their weapons before the arrival of the rebel forces.
I noted in my commentary of December 6 that HTS was originally an offspring of Iraqi groups that would become ISIS or the Islamic State, and it later was affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Although it has moderated its position since 2017, it continues to be considered a terrorist group by states and organizations of the West as well as the Global South and East. The commentary also reviewed a December 4 article in The Dissident, which maintains that the USA has financially and militarily supported HTS in pursuit of its long-standing goal of regime change in Syria, which has played an important role in resistance to the US-Israeli project of domination of the region.
“ALBA-TCP expresses support for Syria: Who are the opposition groups? Are they rebels or terrorists?”, December 6, 2024
Update on December 9, 2024: The Venezuelan international television news outlet Telesur has been stressing in its reporting and commentaries on the afternoon and evening of December 8 and the morning of December 9 the roots and historic ties of Hayat Tahrir al Shams to terrorist groups and activities as well as the support of Hayat Tahrir al Shams by the United States.
A free subscription option is available, with capacity to read, send, and share all posts. A paid subscription ($5 per month or $40 per year) enables you to make comments and to support the costs of the column; paid subscribers also receive a free PDF copy of my book on Cuba and the world-system. Ten percent of income generated through subscriptions to the column is donated to the Cuban Society for Philosophical Investigations.