Syria updates: Top diplomats meet to discuss Syria's future

Hezbollah head Naim Qassem has admitted the Lebanese militant group has lost its supply route through Syria following the fall of dictator Bashar Assad.

"Yes, Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance's work," Qassem said in a televised speech.

"A new regime could come and this route could return to normal, and we could look for other ways," he added.

Under Assad, Iran-backed Hezbollah used Syria to bring in military equipment, including weapons from Iran, via Iraq and Syria before moving into Lebanon.

The route was cut off by anti-Assad fighters on December 6, two days before they seized the capital, Damascus.

Qassem also said he hoped the Syrian rebel group trying to form a new administration would "consider Israel an enemy and not normalize relations with it."

The United States has had direct contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel faction that led the offensive that overthrew Syria's President Bashar Assad, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Blinken is the first US official to publicly confirm contacts between the Biden administration and the new administration in Damascus, but he did not give details on how the contact took place.

The diplomat told reporters it was important for Washington to convey messages to the group about its conduct and how it intends to govern in a transition period.

Blinken, who is in Jordan for a meeting with Arab nations and Turkey on Syria's future, said a joint communique had been agreed between the regions leaders and the US.

He said the document sets out the principles that other nations want to see followed in Syria's political transition, including inclusivity and respect for minorities.

It also demands that HTS does not offer Syria as "a base for terrorist groups".

HTS continues to be designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others.

Syria's currency, the pound, has strengthened against the US dollar by at least 20% over the past two days, Reuters news agency reported.

Currency traders in the capital Damascus gave exchange rates of between 12,500 and 10,000 pounds per dollar, compared to a rate of 15,000 earlier in the week.

In 2011, before the civil war, the dollar would buy between 45-54 pounds.

The traders cited the return of thousands of Syrians who had sought refuge in neighboring countries during the 13-year war.

They said the open use of dollars and the Turkish lira in markets had contributed to the change.

Under Assad's regime, using foreign currencies for everyday trade could previously land Syrians in jail.

The Syrian economy has been decimated by the conflict, with GDP contracting by 85% since the war began.

The UN's special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has urged the international community to help maintain institutions in Syria following the ouster of the country's longtime leader, Bashar Assad.

"We need to make sure that state institutions do not collapse, and that we get in humanitarian assistance as quickly as possible," Pedersen said as he met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jordan, where top Arab, Turkish, EU and US diplomats are holding talks on Syria's future.

Pedersen also called for a "credible and inclusive" political process to form the next Syrian government. 

Blinken said that the United Nations "plays a critical role" in humanitarian assistance and protecting minorities in Syria.

Israeli warplanes carried out some 40 airstrikes overnight on former military posts in the countryside around Damascus, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

"Israeli strikes destroyed a scientific institute" and other associated military facilities in Barzeh, in northern Damascus, and targeted a "military airport" in the area surrounding the capital, the monitor said.

In addition, the Israeli military also hit "Scud ballistic missile warehouses" and launchers in the Qalamun area 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Damascus, as well as "rockets, depots and tunnels under the mountain," according to the Observatory.

The group said the strikes were carried out "as part of destroying what is left of the future Syrian army's capabilities."

Israel did not immediately comment on the reports. Since longtime Syrian leader Bashar Assad was ousted by a rebel alliance on December 8, Israel has struck several military sites across the country.

It has also seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Syrian Golan Heights, a move that has been internationally condemned.

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern over "extensive violations" of Syrian sovereignty and the Israeli strikes in the country, his spokesperson said.
 

 A Russian cargo plane left Russia's Hemeimeem air base in the Syrian city of Latakia for Libya on Saturday, with more departures expected in the days to come, Reuters news agency reported, citing Syrian sources.

The air base has reportedly seen increased activity, with several aircraft landing, helicopters flying within the base and trucks driving around the compound.

On Friday, satellite images showed military equipment being moved about.

The activity comes after the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a longtime ally of Moscow to whom Russia has given military support since 2015 amid Syria's civil war.

Russia has said it hopes to maintain its two military bases in Syria — that in Latakia and a naval base in the port city of Tartus — despite Assad's ouster, saying it is pursuing dialogue to this effect with the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that orchestrated his downfall.

However, all the Russian naval ships docked in Tartus were reported by a US official earlier this week to have left the port.

International diplomats will meet in Aqaba, Jordan, on Saturday to discuss the future of Syria — with that country itself not being represented at the talks.

According to Jordanian sources, the summit will be attended by the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, who will also meet with the foreign ministers of Turkey and the US.

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas and the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, are also set to take part in talks.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the talks will explore ways to support Syria during a transitional phase following the fall of longtime dictator Bashar Assad.

Turkey will reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Saturday, the Turkish news agency Anadolu reported, citing Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The embassy has been shuttered since 2012 amid the fraught security situation caused by Syria's civil war.

Turkey is considered to be a highly influential actor in the neighboring country since Syrian leader Bashar Assad was overthrown by an Islamist-led rebel alliance after 24 years in power.

tj/zc (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)