Syria latest news: Thousands celebrate fall of Assad amid fears chemical weapons could fall into wrong hands

The UN’s particular envoy for Syria says there are numerous challenges forward for stabilising Syria, as insurgent leaders look to determine authority over the nation.

“Whereas there have been developments in direction of interim stabilization in some features, there proceed to be many challenges,” a spokesperson for Geir Pedersen advised a Geneva briefing on Friday. “The state of affairs stays very fluid.”

Mr Pederson will journey to Jordan and meet Arab overseas ministers on Friday, the spokesperson added. He’ll meet with Turkish overseas minister Hakan Fidan and US secretary of state Antony Blinken.

The drug empire led by Bashar al-Assad’s brother is being unearthed following the collapse of the previous Syrian regime.

Captagon, addictive amphetamine-like stimulant well-liked throughout the Center East and dubbed “poor-man’s cocaine”.

Hundreds of tablets have been found hidden in furnishings and fruit, in a big deserted warehouses within the metropolis of Douma.

For years, Washington and its allies accused the Assad regime of profiteering from the manufacturing and sale of captagon – one thing the Syrian authorities persistently denied.

A former head of the British Military’s chemical weapons unit says he’s involved in regards to the threat of Syrian chemical weapons falling into the incorrect fingers.

Hamish de Bretton Gordon advised Sky Information: “We all know ISIS and al Qaeda know all about chemical weapons and wish to pay money for them, so that could be a actual concern.”

It’s “not supreme” for Syria to be bombing Assad’s chemical weapons websites, he stated.

It comes after a former chemical weapons inspector with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Jerry Smith, additionally raised considerations.

With no unitary authorities in Syria, eradicating chemical weapons is troublesome, Mr Smith advised Sky’s The World with Yalda Hakim.

“The priority can be that the [chemical] agent may nonetheless be unfastened, and that terrorist organisations pay money for it and probably smuggle it out,” he added.

“In the event that they received into the incorrect fingers, higher dangers may observe downstream.”

The president of Syria’s ousted regime, Bashar al-Assad, advised nearly nobody about his plans to flee Syria as his reign collapsed following a lightning insurgent offensive.

Aides, officers and family members have been deceived or not advised about his plans, Reuters information company was advised by greater than a dozen individuals with data of the occasions.

Hours earlier than fleeing to Moscow, Assad advised a gathering of 30 military and safety chiefs on Saturday that Russian army help was on its means, and urged forces on the bottom to carry out, a commander who was current on the briefing stated.

When Assad completed work on Saturday, he advised his presidential workplace supervisor that he was going house – however as a substitute left for the airport, an aide in his interior circle revealed.

Assad’s media adviser, Buthaina Shaaban, obtained a name from the previous president asking her to return to his house to put in writing him a speech. When she arrived, nobody was there.

“Assad didn’t even make a final stand. He didn’t even rally his personal troops,” Nadim Houri, govt director of the Arab Reform Initiative regional think-tank, advised Reuters. “He let his supporters face their very own destiny.”

Beijing has agreed with Egypt that each nations ought to promote tempo within the Center East, in response to a media pool report.

China’s overseas minister Wang Yi met with Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Beijing on Friday.

Each international locations are involved with the state of affairs in Syria, he stated, calling for respect for the nation’s sovereignty and independence.

Mr Yi additionally welcomed a ceasefire settlement between Israel and Lebanon.