France calls on Israel to withdraw from the Golan buffer zone

France asked Israel on Wednesday December 11 to withdraw from the buffer zone in Syria. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has signaled that it wants “a situation stabilized as quickly as possible in the country”. Le Figaro takes stock of the situation.

Paris calls on Israel to “withdraw” from the buffer zone in Syria

France “calls on Israel to withdraw from the area” buffer established between the Jewish state and Syria, as well as“respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria”the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Wednesday.

“Any military deployment in the separation zone between Israel and Syria constitutes a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement, which must be respected by its signatories, Israel and Syria”insists the Quai d’Orsay after the incursion of Israeli forces into this area located on the edge of the part of the Golan Heights occupied and annexed by Israel.

“A situation stabilized as quickly as possible”

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it wanted a situation “stabilized as quickly as possible” in Syria after the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad and condemned Israel’s strikes and its deployment near the occupied Golan. “We would like the situation in the country to be stabilized as quickly as possible, one way or another”Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We would like the situation in the country (Syria) to be stabilized as quickly as possible, one way or another”Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He estimated that the hundreds of strikes carried out by Israel against strategic sites in Syria and the deployment of Israeli troops on the edge of the part of the Syrian Golan occupied by Israel “hardly contribute to the stabilization of the situation in an already destabilized Syria”.

Mr. Peskov also said that Moscow is «and contact» with the new Syrian authorities about the fate of the two Russian military bases located on Syrian territory: the Tartus naval base and the Hmeimim military airfield. “We maintain contacts with those who control the situation in Syria, it is necessary, because we have a base there and diplomatic representation. And the issues related to securing these facilities are extremely important”he declared.

Greece temporarily suspends the examination of asylum applications from Syrians

Greece has temporarily suspended the examination of asylum applications from Syrians, Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said on Wednesday. The country is an entry into the European Union for many refugees.

“We are temporarily freezing (…) all procedures (for Syrian asylum applications) until we can evaluate the new data” policies in Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, he said on Real FM radio.

No amnesty for those guilty of torturing detainees, says rebel leader

Syria’s rebel leader has said those involved in torturing detainees will not be pardoned, following the release of thousands of prisoners from the Assad clan’s notorious jails.

“We will not grant amnesty to those involved in the torture and elimination of detainees and we will prosecute them in our country”said Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, who now goes by his real name, Ahmad al-Chareh, asking other countries to hand over “all the criminals who have fled so that they can be brought to justice”.

RSF calls for Bashar al-Assad to be brought to justice for the murder of 181 journalists since 2011

On Tuesday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for “translate Bachar el-Assad on trial for the murder of 181 journalists since the 2011 revolution”also expressing concern about the fate of those currently detained in Syria, in a press release. The NGO announces, however, that since the fall of the former president on Sunday, “two journalists are free”, “according to (his) information”: “Hanin Gebran, the Syria media monitor journalist detained since June 2024” et “blogger Tal al-Mallouhi, detained since 2009 for her work before the revolution”.

According to the NGO, 181 journalists were “killed by the Syrian regime and its supporters – 161 by regime forces and 17 by Russian bombings”of the “murders” Who “must not go unpunished”. “With more than 180 journalists killed and executed by the regime and its allies since 2011, with the imprisonment and torture of reporters in its jails for years, Bashar al-Assad and his allies have made Syria one of the worst countries in the world for media professionals, according to RSF’s press freedom rankings in 2024 »declares, in this press release, Jonathan Dagher, head of RSF’s Middle East desk.

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“We demand that Bashar al-Assad be tried for his crimes. May justice, which is long overdue, be done for all the victims of his abuses.”he adds. Monday, “23 journalists were in prison, ten were missing, seven of whom were victims of enforced disappearance, kidnapped to an unknown location by the Assad regime. For the vast majority of them, there is no proof to date that they are still alive.according to the organization.

Furthermore, RSF denounces the fact that “different rebel groups and armed factions also participated in the repression of reporters in the area they controlled”. The radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham “HTS is accused of having killed six between 2012 and 2019”says the NGO, asking to keep “responsible” the authors of these «crimes». Others were also kidnapped or “do “hostages“in recent years, according to Mr. Dagher, who demands”to members of the HTS group” of “release all journalists detained in the country, including those they have held hostage.”

Berlin calls on Turkey and Israel not to jeopardize peaceful transition

The head of German diplomacy urged Turkey and Israel not to jeopardize the peaceful transition in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday.

“If we want a peaceful Syria, the territorial integrity of the country must not be called into question and neighbors, such as the Turkish and Israeli governments, who assert security interests, must not jeopardize the process with their actions »said Annalena Baerbock during a press briefing in Berlin.

US Secretary of State to Visit Turkey, Jordan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Turkey on Friday to discuss the situation in Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, an official Turkish source said on Wednesday. “He will be in Türkiye on Friday”said this source about the visit, which will come five days after the unexpected overthrow of the Assad regime.

Blinken will subsequently travel to Jordan to discuss the crisis in Syria.

Qatar announces the reopening “soon” of its embassy in Syria

Qatar announced on Wednesday that it would reopen “Soon” its embassy in Damascus, after the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Gulf country “will soon reopen its embassy in the Syrian Arab Republic after making the necessary arrangements”said Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed-al Ansari in a statement.

Assad’s fall will not weaken Iran, Iranian Supreme Leader assures

The fall of Bashar al-Assad will not weaken Iran, said Wednesday Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose country was an unwavering supporter of the deposed Syrian president. “To imagine that when the resistance is weakened, Islamic Iran is also weakened, is to not know the meaning of resistance” et “of ignorance”Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989, said in a speech.

Pope calls for “mutual respect” among various religions in Syria

Pope Francis on Wednesday called on the various religions in Syria to “friendship and mutual respect”at the end of his general audience in Saint-Pierre Square. Speaking of “this delicate moment in its history”he expressed the wish that “the Syrian people can live in peace and security in their beloved land and that the various religions can walk together in friendship and mutual respect”.

Pro-Kurdish forces announce truce with pro-Turkish fighters in Manbij

The leader of the Kurdish-dominated forces which control large areas of northeastern Syria announced on Wednesday a truce with pro-Turkish groups in Manbij, an Arab-majority area, where fighting left 218 dead. “We reached a ceasefire agreement in Manbij through American mediation”declared Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by Washington. He added that the fighters of the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the FDS, “will withdraw from the area as soon as possible”.