This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Trump puts boot into Russia as overstretched armed forces fail to come to Assad's aid
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar Assad had "fled his country" after losing the backing of Russia. "Assad is gone," he said on his Truth Social platform. "His protector, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. Russia had no reason to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine. Russia and Iran are now in a weak position, one, because of Ukraine and a bad economy, and two because of Israel and its success in fighting."
54 years of Assad rule come to an end in Syria as rebels declare Damascus captured
The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the more than 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown and all detainees in jails had been set free.
Tehran stood aside as Assad regime crumbled
Iran turned its back and abandoned its ally Syria as opposition forces toppled the regime, an exclusive New York Times report on Saturday revealed.
According to an internal memo from a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps that the NYT viewed, the situation in Syria was described as "unbelievable and strange." It is as if "Iran accepted the fall of Assad and has lost the will to resist," the memo said.
In addition, Iran's media had switched from calling the Sunni rebels "infidel terrorists" to "armed groups" and reported that they had so far treated Shiite minorities well, the NYT reported.
Where is Assad? Dictator's plane seems to vanish from radar
The fate of Syria's erstwhile dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was reported to have fled the country is still unknown after a plane – assumed to be his – disappeared from radar over the city of Homs. The same private plane had seemingly made numerous journeys to and from the United Arab Emirates over the previous day or so.
Syrian rebels tear apart Iranian embassy in Damascus as Assad regime crumbles
Iran's embassy in Syria was "attacked" on Sunday, Iranian state TV said, after Islamist-led rebels declared the fall of Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad following a sweeping offensive that culminated in Damascus.
"Unknown individuals have attacked the Iranian embassy, as you can see in these images, shared by various networks," a state TV broadcaster said, showing footage said to be from inside the diplomatic compound.
IDF strikes chemical weapons plants on outskirts of Damascus over fears material could fall into jihadists' hands
The IDF struck a chemical weapons factory belonging to the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to prevent the rebels from seizing it, Arab media first reported on Sunday.
Iran 'dramatically accelerates' uranium enrichment
Iran has in recent weeks sharply increased its uranium enrichment efforts, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi.
"The agency is announcing that the production capacity is increasing dramatically, of the 60% inventory," said Grossi at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain.
Israeli minister calls for retaking of Mt. Hermon's summit in wake of Assad's fall
"Despite the rebranding of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its leader Ahmed al-Shara, the bottom line is that most of Syria is now under the control of affiliate organizations of al-Qaeda and ISIS," Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli (Likud) tweeted Sunday morning.
"Israel must urgently renew its control over the peak of Mount Hermon and establish a new defense line based on the 1974 ceasefire line. Jihadists must not be allowed to establish themselves near our communities," Chikli added.
Greta Thunberg yells 'F*** Germany! F*** Israel!' at pro-Hamas rally
So-called climate activist turned Hamas shill Greta Thunberg was filmed laughing as she shouted "F– Germany, and f– Israel!" at a pro-Palestine event in Germany on Friday,
According to MSN, the event was held in the city of Mannheim, and was organized by the group Zaytouna in the Rhine-Neckar region.
The rally was held in the city's main market square and included a discussion focused on "solidarity with Palestine and the climate movement."
WATCH: Fallout continues after shocking arson attack on Melbourne synagogue
Hamas releases 'proof of life' video of hostage Matan Zangauker
Hamas on Saturday night released a video of 25-year-old Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Palestinian terror group's Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
While the three-plus minute clip is not dated, Zangauker states he has been held captive in the Gaza Strip for over 420 days, suggesting it was filmed recently.
Israel assists U.N. forces in Syria to repel rebel attack
Prior to the fall of the Assad regime early Sunday, the IDF said on Saturday it assisted the United Nations in "repelling" an attack by armed gunmen on a UN post in Syria. According to the IDF, the U.N. position which came under attack is located near the Syrian town of Hader, close to the Israeli border and the largely Druze Israeli town of Majdal Shams.
