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Anti-Assad Celebrations Erupt Near Syria-Lebanon Border; Rebels Take Damascus As Assad Regime Falls; Bashar al-Assad Given Asylum In Moscow; Biden Speaks Following The Collapse Of Syrian Government. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired December 08, 2024 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:00:51]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome back to our special breaking news coverage of dramatic historic developments unfolding in the Middle East. Right now we're following the breaking news. In the meantime, President Biden is getting ready to speak any moment now. We're told from the White House on the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.
Just a short time ago, CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward was on Lebanon's border with Syria where celebrations erupted after the Bashar al-Assad regime collapsed.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are just now about 20 miles from the Syrian border and you can see celebrations are breaking out everywhere. This woman actually has just offered me some sweets. This is the mood right now. It is festive. It is jubilant.
Take a look with me. You can see people are waving the flag of the Syrian revolution. It has got three stars. You can see children. And it's just an extraordinary moment. I think no one realized that this would ever actually happen after so many years of waiting, so many years. A lot of fireworks as well. Let's keep moving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)
WARD: So this guy is from the City of Homs. He is obviously completely overcome with joy at what is happening here. We can see these little girls here as well. OK. They said they're very happy Bashar al-Assad has fallen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A lot of happy Syrians beginning to return to Syria right now. I want to bring in our chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward. Clarissa, you're doing great reporting from there. You're the first Western journalist to report from inside Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. You just made it to Damascus. What are you seeing right now?
WARD: Well, Wolf, I have to say the moment is just utterly surreal. For those of us who have been covering this story for more than 14 years, it never seemed possible that it would end like this. I want to say that the streets are incredibly calm, incredibly quiet. But you can see just behind me a few cars have been going through the street.
There's actually a curfew in place from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. that is a security measure. Of course, there has been some looting in Damascus earlier on, some chaotic scenes. And so as a precaution, as we saw in Aleppo, they have put this curfew into place.
I want to show you, though, Wolf, a clip of the moment that we cross the border, because this is a border that I crossed many times when I used to live in Lebanon, when I used to cover Syria at the very, very beginning of the uprising. And the contrast from what it was and what we experienced tonight is just startling. So take a look at this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't know exactly what to put us around here.
WARD: We just now entered the city of Damascus and you can probably see it's very quiet. There is a curfew in place from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. but we do see some cars on the road, a lot of them driving with their hazards and approaching very cautiously. We saw some tracer fire as were entering the city.
[13:05:00]
But now it seems as though it is relatively calm. And it's just honestly so surreal to be driving through these streets knowing that Bashar al-Assad is never coming back after more than 50 years of Assad rule.
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WARD: Now, that clip, Wolf, was actually from just as we entered the capital city here of Damascus, but nonetheless gives you a feel for just how quiet, how calm. It's a little bit eerie, certainly. And there's definitely a sense when you talk to people that they're delighted, but they're cautious, they're concerned. What comes next? Will there be chaos? Will there be lawlessness? Will we see more looting like we saw today?
But if you have that other clip pulled up, I just would love our viewers to be able to see the scene at that border crossing as we pass through it. Again, it was already dark, already past curfew, very, very quiet, and just nothing like we've seen it before.
The only real evidence we saw, Wolf, of any struggle to finally take Damascus, to finally ouster Bashar al-Assad was a tank in the road below a torn poster of president, or I should say former President Bashar al-Assad. Take a look at that clip if you can. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: So we are just crossing now into Syria. It's astonishing to see. It's absolutely empty. The border points. Before, there would have been soldiers, there would have been border guards. Now there is absolutely nobody from the Syrian regime. Just a few friendly people waving us through.
And honestly, the last time I came down this road was back in 2011. I was leaving Syria. I had been undercover in Damascus, but losing as a tourist, went back into Lebanon. And I never could imagine this moment would come when we would be driving through this border with no one from the regime to stop us.
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WARD: And Wolf, my cameraman, Scott McWhinney, just found this on the ground, literally as were listening to that clip. This is the old flag of the Syrian regime, which has two green stars. The rebel's flag has three green stars. But this one has now been literally, we just found it on the floor. I guess a real moment where you see how much things have changed just in the past 24 hours.
In terms of the security situation on the streets, I would just add we anticipated that we might see quite a lot of checkpoints as we came into the city. We didn't. We did see a group of men. They did not appear to be armed, but they asked us what we were doing, where we were going. And now that we are sort of ensconced in our place, where we're staying for the night.
We have seen a couple of patrols. I saw two men armed, and I went up to them and asked them where they were from. They told me they were from Idlib, which is in the northern part of the country. And we saw a man on the street go up and wanted to pose for a photograph of them, which I think sort of speaks to the moment.
There is obviously jubilation, elation, but also this sense of, you can't compute. It was so fast, so breathtaking, it's astonishing. And I think people are taking some time to try to process the magnitude. Keep in mind, Wolf, we're talking about 53 years of Assad rule, 53 years of a brutal police state.
And I can't tell you how many Syrians have said to me, Wolf, that, you know, we understand that there are concerns about the rebels and the makeup of the rebels and the fact that some of them are Islamists and some of them are even jihadists or have been affiliated with Al Qaeda or prescribed organizations.
But let us have this moment. Let us celebrate the fact that this brutal dictator who has ruthlessly killed hundreds of thousands of people, who has gassed children with lethal nerve agents, who has locked people in prisons and tortured and beaten them to death, that he is finally gone. And that whatever may come and whatever the anxiety, this is a new chapter for Syria. Wolf.
[13:10:00] BLITZER: Certainly is. And what really surprised me, and I assume surprised a lot of people, is that this happened not only very, very quickly. Within a few days, the Bashar al-Assad regime is gone. But what surprised me is that his army, his military, his police force, which is so well armed with highly sophisticated weapons, basically didn't use those weapons against these rebel forces. There was no major bloodshed, no big war going on.
It was a pretty dramatic development that the rebels could do all of this without being attacked brutally, as you correctly point out the Bashar al-Assad regime has done over the years. How do you explain that?
WARD: And again, it's such an important point, Wolf, because what you have to understand, during the hottest years of this war, from 2011 to 2015, there were so many times where it looked like the rebels were poised, for example, to take Aleppo, where they were storming across the country with these offensives. But Bashar al Assad's forces continued to fight. And most importantly and crucially, they had a rescue plan, which was Hezbollah, which was Iran, which was Russia, and those vicious Russian airstrikes that killed so many civilians in rebel held territory.
This time around, there was a fundamental in the psyche, the confidence wasn't there that the support team, that the rescuers would come once again and essentially save Bashar al-Assad and his regime from its now seemingly inevitable fate. What exactly contributed to that psychological shift? How it is possible that the rebels were able, in a matter of nine days to take the entire country while barely, I won't say barely firing a shot, because there were places where there were some pitched battles, particularly in Homs, but these were no longer than a day.
And somehow we see these images on social media of regime soldiers taking off their uniforms, putting them on the floor, and just trying to melt into the background because the fight was no longer there. The desire, the will was just no longer there. How the rebels could have anticipated this moment, what help they may have had almost certainly have had from outside forces. These are the kinds of things that we will start to learn in the coming days.
But for most Syrians tonight and for the residents of Damascus tonight, the primary focus is on the joy of being free of Bashar al- Assad and the fear and concern of what comes next.
BLITZER: Normally, Clarissa, we would have expected Russian troops, Russian forces, Russian arms to be there for Bashar al-Assad's regime. But right now, the Russians are preoccupied with their own battles going on in Ukraine. And that was a significant factor, I assume right. Right?
WARD: I think that's undeniably a part of it. I think also for those of us who watch Syria closely, it's an open secret that the Russians were very frustrated with Bashar al-Assad, that they were very frustrated with his regime as a whole, that they felt like they needed to do a lot of work to keep propping it up, that they were sick and tired of the fundamental dysfunction, corruption of this kleptocracy.
And so there were many reasons that may have contributed to their decision to ultimately not put the full force of their weight behind rescuing Bashar al-Assad once again. And almost certainly the war in Ukraine will have been a factor in that.
But I think part of it as well, honestly, Wolf, is that they saw the writing on the wall, that this just wasn't happening this time, that the army wasn't willing to fight, that the people were ready and waiting for something new. And it happened at such a speed that I think, frankly, their primary focus has been on trying to get their personnel out, protect their assets here.
Of course, it's important to remember they have this port on the Mediterranean, Tartus and Latakia, that is a crucial asset for them strategically. And so they will be very much focused on trying to protect that and make sure that nothing, you know, that there are no attacks against them and that is not in any way threatened.
BLITZER: When you got into Damascus and you showed us some of the video, some of the people, joyful people welcoming you and welcoming the regime's destruction, if you will, we heard a lot of them screaming, allahu Akbar. God is great. God is great. God is great. For them this is a really powerful moment. Talk a little bit about that.
[13:15:00]
WARD: It is an incredibly powerful moment for them. And those scenes were actually on the Lebanese side of the border, where obviously the security situation is much calmer, and so they felt more comfortable. And there's no curfew. So they were out on the streets, they were cheering, they were passing out candies, they were hugging each other, they were setting off fireworks. They were just, honestly, it was an electric atmosphere. People truly jubilant.
And they see this as a victory of the people, a victory for the people and for many of them who are deeply conservative, a victory from God.
Now, I do think it's important to underscore that Syria is not a monolith. There are many different minorities represented here, and it would be a lie to pretend that it's the case that every single person in Syria is celebrating tonight.
There are a lot of people who are probably worried, particularly members of the Alawite community. Bashar al-Assad is part of this, forgive me, of this minority group, a minority ruling a majority for many years. And so many Alawites will now be concerned, potentially, that they will face reprisals. Many Christians who have also often stood with the regime or sort of silently being seen as apologists for the regime, may also be worried.
And that's why you've seen the rebels and you've seen Jolani, the head of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, who spoke with my colleague Jomana Karadsheh and Halep (ph), just in Aleppo, sorry, just a few days ago, really take pains to make it clear that the mission of this new face of the rebellion is to be inclusive, is to be pluralistic, and really trying to make it clear to those minority groups that they are part of Syria, that they are welcome, that they will not face any reprisals.
But for some, of course, when you look at the initial original makeup of some of these rebel groups, there are still a lot of suspicions and there will be worries and there will be concerns. And there has been so much bloodshed here, Wolf, over the course of the last 14 years that it is difficult in a moment like this for everybody to come together, to take a deep breath, to not kind of revert to the instinct to take revenge for so much of what has transpired here.
And that will take a huge amount of logistics, a huge amount of discipline, and a huge amount of generosity in the coming weeks and months.
BLITZER: Certainly will. Clarissa, before I let you go, and I know you're in a dangerous situation over there, so I want you to be very, very careful, but you're one of our very courageous correspondents as all of our viewers here in the United States and around the world know.
How significant this defeat of the Bashar al-Assad regime by these rebels, how important significant was the destruction of the leadership of neighboring Hezbollah, supported by Syria, supported by Iran over these past several weeks. How significant is the destruction of the Hezbollah leadership given the close ties they used to have, clearly with the Bashar al-Assad regime?
WARD: It's monumental, Wolf. I mean, we're talking tectonic shifts here. Look at Iran. What is Khamenei thinking this morning when he wakes up and sees that this entire system, this so called Shia Crescent that he had basically presided over in Lebanon, in Syria, in Iraq, that it has essentially just disappeared?
Hezbollah, of course, still has a presence in Lebanon, but has effectively been decimated. Here now the regime of Bashar al-Assad has fallen.
This is a momentous, mind blowing, frankly, historic moment. And there's no way of getting around that, and there's no way of extricating it or seeing it separately from the events, honestly, that have transpired since October 7th. So often in this region, you will see that the domino effect, the ripple effect. And what's scary is that you never know what the next shoe to drop will be.
And I don't think anyone could tell you that they ever expected that Assad would fall in a matter of less than two weeks. And yet here we are in this moment. Everyone understands its profound significance. Everyone feels some unease about what comes next. And yet there is also optimism and joy that there is a new chapter coming.
BLITZER: All right, let's see what happens for the people of Syria. We're hoping the people of Syria will be fine. Now let's see what happens. Clarissa Ward is now in Damascus for us. Clarissa, as I said, stay safe over there. We'll be in very close touch with you. Thank you for your truly excellent, excellent coverage.
I want to bring in CNN's Nic Robertson right now. He's got some new information, some major breaking news on the whereabouts of Bashar al- Assad, the Syrian dictator. What are we learning?
[13:20:05]
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, Wolf, just 30 minutes ago when you and I were talking, we didn't know the whereabouts of Assad. Hugely important because if he's still trying to hold out and form up some kind of resistance inside of Syria, as wild an idea as that might be, that was a worry.
What we have learned now, the Russian state media TASS is saying that Assad and his family have landed in Moscow. The Russian state has agreed to give them asylum for humanitarian reasons. So we know now know the fate of Assad. He fled yesterday during the day from Damascus. He fled to the Russian air base in the northwest of Lebanon. And then today he has been transported to Moscow and this appears to be now where he'll end his days. What value Russia thinks he has for them going forward is unclear.
Of course, those two major bases inside of Syria, the Tartars, the major Mediterranean warm water port facility, a vital strategic interest for Russia. Russia is something they'll be watching closely. We understand Russia already pulling some of its assets out of there. And that airbase near Latakia, that Assad will have flown out of earlier today, that also vital strategic interest.
Does having ownership of Assad parlay something for the Russians for their interests in Syria going forward? That's very unclear. But what is clear now is Assad is no longer in Syria. His whereabouts a Russia with his family. He's going to be there for a long time. Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, he's safe in Moscow right now. All right, Nic, that air -- that Russian air base is in Syria, northwest Syria right now. Not in Lebanon, right?
ROBERTSON: Sorry, Wolf, if I said Lebanon, that was a mistake. Absolutely. Inside of, inside of Syria.
BLITZER: All right, good. Excellent reporting from Nic Robertson as usual as well. Thank you very much. Once again, we're waiting for the President of the United States, President Biden. He's been meeting with his top national security advisers at the White House, getting briefed on all of the ramifications for the U.S. of this dramatic development in Syria right now.
Remember, there are still several hundred U.S. troops based in Syria, worried about ISIS potential in Syria as well. We'll hear from the President of the United States what he has to say. We'll have live coverage of that coming up. We expect that to happen in a few minutes. We'll be right back with more news.
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BLITZER: We're following major developments. The major breaking news unfolding right now. We have now been told by the Russian state media TASS organization citing a source in the Kremlin that the Syrian president, now the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his family have now arrived in Moscow after being granted asylum, according to TASS in Russia.
Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow, according to TASS, Russia for humanitarian reasons, has granted them asylum. The Kremlin source says, according to TASS. We're watching all of this very closely. The president of the United States, President Biden is watching it very closely because the ramifications potentially for the United States in the region are enormous right now. The president's been meeting with his top national security advisers over at the White House. I want to go to our White House correspondent Kayla Tausche right now.
Kayla, we expect to hear fairly soon from the president. He's going to be speaking, I take it, from the Roosevelt room.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, President Biden will be speaking in just a few minutes time, Wolf, an effort to try to crystallize the U.S. position on this stunning turn of events in recent days that proceeded even more quickly than the administration had expected, though it was watching these events very carefully.
President Biden having been briefed regularly by his national security team on these events, as well as most recently this morning on the fall of the Assad regime and what comes next. And we know that while the U.S. and its allies have long viewed the Assad regime as brutal and barbaric, there are still concerns about what comes next and whether the potential leadership vacuum would allow other terror groups to exploit an opening, whether it's ISIS or Al Qaeda. And they want to make sure that whatever happens next is not worse than the Assad regime.
To that end, National Security's adviser, Jake Sullivan, speaking at a defense forum yesterday in California, said that the U.S. is in close consultation with its partners in the region and that it's specifically focused on preventing a resurgence by ISIS, Al Qaeda or other terror groups, which we should note that this rebel group that has overthrown the Assad regime is recognized by the United Nations as a terrorist group. So the U.S. does have concerns about exactly what this will look like going forward now that Assad is out of power.
There has also been an effort by the United States to try to put the White House's mark on this situation. The president has been relatively quiet on this issue, despite Sullivan's public comments yesterday. But we have President-Elect Trump sort of stepping into a shadow foreign policy position here.
He posted on Truth Social yesterday from Paris that the U.S. should take a hands off approach to Syria and not get involved. Certainly that also seems to be the approach of the U.S. here, with Sullivan saying that the U.S. is not going to be involved militarily, which is interesting because there are still several hundred U.S. troops stationed in Syria. We will see exactly what Biden says when he takes the lectern just a few moments from now and what clarity he can offer on what comes next. Wolf.
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BLITZER: Another major concern for the U.S., Kayla, and talk a little bit about this, the enormous weapons stockpiles that the Bashar al- Assad regime has in Syria and what happens to the chemical weapons, a lot of chemical weapons, ballistic missiles, all sorts of other very deadly equipment that potentially could now fall into the hands of the rebels. So that's an issue of major concern for the U.S. and I assume the president will be discussing that as well.
TAUSCHE: Well, it's hard to know whether the president will choose to speak publicly to the American people about that specific concern. But he has no doubt been addressing it privately with his advisers as they have watched some of these images and some of the intelligence reports coming in about the rebel group's stunningly quick offensive over the last few days. That was one of the top concerns.
What would happen to that vast cache of weapons that the Assad regime had built up, and what are the intentions of this new group if and when they do obtain those? Certainly we do not know at this point, Wolf, but that is top of mind for the Biden administration.
BLITZER: Certainly, as you correctly point out, several hundred U.S. troops are still in Syria even as we speak right now. I want to go to CNN's Nic Robertson, who's been monitoring all of these dramatic developments. So what do we anticipate now, Nic?
ROBERTSON: I think there's going to be a period where the rebels are trying to make sure that they have this really firm control. They've put in place a curfew in the cities across the country, a very long curfew through the hours of darkness. That should really tamp down any looting and any sort of wanton destruction, anger at the Assad regime.
But, I'm struck by looking at some of the images. One of the things on the top of the agenda for the rebels has been to free prisoners from some of the most notorious jails in Syria, like Sednaya, the jail in Damascus, long -- a place for where Assad put and killed and tortured opposition members anyone who stepped out of line.
You know, one account of a prisoner freed from there, he was put in jail for 10 years, being conscripted into the army to fight for Assad, didn't want to fight, tried to sort of get out of the country, was caught and put in jail.
But the images that we're seeing, Wolf, are so reminiscent of what we saw in Iraq in 2003 when the United States overthrew Saddam Hussein. There were people so desperate looking for family members in Assad jails. They were literally pulling the drain covers off in roads, thinking that there were hidden jails down there. And we've seen similar images this evening coming from the Saydnaya Jail, where people are literally breaking down walls with hammers. It's a sort of underground areas within the jail, wondering if there are people trapped in there, wondering, you know, where all the disappeared people are.
One prisoner who was released gave an account on the streets today of some 60 prisoners being taken out of their cells just yesterday by guards with shotguns. And he understood that they were being taken away for potentially for execution. That was the level of brutality.
So, we're seeing scenes and emotions similar to the overthrow of that brutal dictator, Saddam Hussein in 2003, who came from the same mindset, the same political set, the Baathist Party, as Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad.
This is an absolutely monumental moment in the history of Syria and potentially for the region, too. And it cannot be understated. He here was a dynastic dynasty of brutal dictators that were still alive, I mean, still on the fringes, just across the border from Turkey, on the fringes of Europe, if you will. This was still going on and existed.
And now the lid's been taken off of that. The opportunities, obviously, are huge. The pitfalls are massive. The chances of misunderstanding and miscalculation by potential friends, potential enemies in the region, around the world, again, is huge.
But the trajectory that we've heard so far laid out by the rebel leadership and other politicians who I've spoken to is one that aspires to a smooth and calm transition. And I think the curfew is the first step towards that. So much further to go there, Wolf.
BLITZER: Interesting indeed, the dramatic developments unfolding in Syria right now. Historic, as I keep saying as well. Nic Robertson will stay in very close touch with you as well. Retired Colonel Cedric Leighton, our military analyst, is with us. Colonel Leighton, what's your assessment right now of the current situation in Syria and the ramifications, the implications for the U.S.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Wolf, this is a profound moment, as Clarissa and Nic have both said. And one of the key things here is to watch where the rebels go from here. Right now, you know, we know that they're in Damascus, that they've taken Damascus,.
[13:35:00]
But we also have pictures from Tartus. And that's very significant because that area is basically home to Assad's people, Assad's sect, to the Alawites, and it is also home to the Russian naval base. And so what happens next with that Russian naval base, what happens next with all of those different aspects becomes really key. And for the U.S. the profound effort here has to be, you know, is this going to be a terrorist haven, or is this going to be a country that we can, in essence, do business with?
BLITZER: And for the U.S., why does the U.S. still have a few hundred troops based in Syria?
LEIGHTON: Well, the main idea for that mission is that it's anti ISIS mission, it's anti-Islamic state, and it's designed to keep ISIS at bay, to watch what they do in the areas that they are still active in, which includes part of Syria, and also to make sure that ISIS does not get to spread its ideas, its caliphate, like they tried to in Iraq a few years ago. But they don't do it in Syria or Iraq. And that's why we have those 900 or so troops, not only in Syria, but also -- we also, of course, have a couple thousand in Iraq at the present time as well.
BLITZER: We're showing our viewers, Colonel Leighton, live pictures coming in from the White House, the Roosevelt Room. The president is about to walk through that door to the microphone and make a statement. We're told he's been briefed over these last several hours by top U.S. national security officials over at the White House.
This is a dramatic moment for people in the Middle East, certainly throughout the Middle East, not only in Syria and Lebanon, in Iraq and neighboring countries. In Israel, for example, they're watching this very closely as well. We heard from the prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, a little while ago. We'll have a full report on the ramifications for Israel that's coming up.
But what specifically, and if I interrupt you'll understand. What specifically do you think the president -- the point -- the major point the president should make now?
LEIGHTON: I think what he's going to talk about, Wolf, in part at least, be the force protection aspect for those 900 U.S. troops who are in Syria. Perhaps he'll also talk about what will happen with the Kurdish population in Syria. And he will probably also issue a warning to the new government in Syria as it's formed, to abide by international norms and to prevent, he will hope, I think, to get them to help prevent the spread of ISIS and other aspects of international terrorism, whether it's ISIS or Al Qaeda, perhaps he will go in that direction as well.
But this is a fundamental moment, and we also see that it has significantly weakened not only Assad and his regime, which no longer exists, but also Iran and Russia by extension.
BLITZER: I assume the president will also make a statement on this rebel group called HTS, which the U.S. has called a terrorist organization for years now. In Arabic, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. What's your analysis of this rebel group?
LEIGHTON: Well, it's a very interesting group, and it is an offshoot of Al Qaeda. Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham is a group that has members in it that are fundamental Islamists. They are jihadists. There are other members that are more moderate. And of course, it's been -- in essence, a coalition that has been formed to conduct these operations.
It's a highly disciplined group, as we see by their ability to carry out this mission. And the very fact that they did it so quickly, you know, from the time they took Aleppo to the time they got to Damascus, is very significant. So they are a force to be reckoned with. But they now have the big challenge of governing and whether they can do it as inclusively as their leader has said, that, of course, remains to be seen.
But if they can do it inclusively and without being a haven for terrorists, that would be a very welcome development in the Middle East.
BLITZER: That rebel leader of HTS is considered by the U.S. government a terrorist. In fact, the U.S. has put a $10 million reward on his capture. So obviously, the relationship between the U.S. and HTS is not good.
LEIGHTON: That's right. It's a very tenuous, very difficult relationship. And I think we're in the mode right now from the U.S. side where we're going to see what his actual deeds are. We know his background. He's actually been arrested by the U.S. back when he served in Iraq as a terrorist in Iraq. So he has a history with the US. It's probably not a positive history on his side either.
But if he can go beyond that, then it remains to be seen what happens next. So, yes, he does have that bounty on his head, like you mentioned, Wolf, but is he willing to turn over a new lead? Is he going to do something else? We'll see.
[13:40:00]
BLITZER: We will see, indeed. Some are expecting Syria. Well, hold on a second. Here's the president.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. A lot happening in the Middle East.
After 13 years of civil war in Syria and more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashar Assad and his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office and flee the country. We're not sure where he is, but the -- there's word that he's in Moscow.
At long last, the Assad regime has fallen. This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians. A fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice. It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country.
It's also a moment of risk and uncertainty. As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risks.
You know, for years, the main backers of Assad have been Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia. But over the last week, their support collapsed, all three of them, because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when I took office. And let's remember why.
After Hamas attacked Israel on October the 7th, 2023, when much of the world responded with horror, Iran and its proxies chose to launch a multi-front war against Israel. That was a historic mistake on Iran's part.
Today, Iran's main territorial proxy, Hezbollah, is also on its back.
Only 12 days ago, I spoke from the Rose Garden about the ceasefire deal in Lebanon, a deal that was only possible because Hezbollah has been badly degraded. Meanwhile, Hamas has been badly degraded as well. Iran's own military capabilities have been weakened. Iran tried two
times to attack Israel, and the United States and built a coalition of countries to directly defend Israel and help defeat those attacks.
All this made possible for Iran and Hezbollah to continue to prop up, impossible, I should say, for them to prop up the Assad regime.
Additionally, Russia's support for Assad also failed. And that's because Ukraine, backed by our American allies, has put up a wall of resistance against the invading Russian forces, inflicting massive damage on the Russian forces. And that has left Russia unable to protect its main ally in the Middle East.
Excuse my cold.
The upshot for all this is, for the first time ever, neither Russia nor Iran nor Hezbollah could defend this abhorrent regime in Syria. And this is a direct result of the blows that Ukraine, Israel have delivered upon their own self-defense with unflagging support of the United States.
And over the past four years, my administration pursued a clear, principled policy towards Syria.
First, we made clear from the start sanctions on Iran, Assad would remain in place unless he engaged seriously in a political process to end the civil war, as outlined under the U.N. Security Council resolution passed in 2015. But Assad refused, so we carried out a comprehensive sanction program against him and all those responsible for atrocities against the Syrian people.
Second, we maintained our military presence in Syria. Our counter- ISIS, to counter the support of local partners as well on the ground, their partners, never ceding an inch of territory, taking out leaders of ISIS, ensuring that ISIS can never establish a safe haven there again.
Third, we've supported Israel's freedom of action against Iranian networks in Syria and against actors aligned with Iran who transported lethal aid to Lebanon, and when necessary, ordered the use of military force against Iranian networks to protect U.S. forces.
Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East. Through this combination of support for our partners, sanctions, and diplomacy and targeted military force when necessary, we now see new opportunities opening up for the people of Syria and for the entire region.
Looking ahead, the United States will do the following: First, we'll support Syria's neighbors, including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Israel -- should any threat arise from Syria during this period of transition. I will speak with leaders of the region in the coming days. I had long discussions with all of our people earlier this morning. And I'll send senior officials from my administration to the region as well.
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Second, we will help stability -- ensure stability in eastern Syria, protecting any personnel, our personnel against any threats. And it will remain our mission against ISIS will be maintained, including the security of detention facilities where ISIS fighters are being held as prisoners. We're clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capability and to create a safe haven. We will not let that happen.
In fact, just today, U.S. forces conducted a dozen of precision strikes, air strikes within Syria targeting ISIS camps and ISIS operatives.
Third, we will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward independent, sovereign -- an independent -- independent, I want to say it again, sovereign Syria with a new constitution, a new government that serves all Syrians. And this process will be determined by the Syrian people themselves.
And the United States will do whatever we can to support them, including through humanitarian relief, to help restore Syria after more than a decade of war and generations of brutality by the Assad family.
And finally, we will remain vigilant. Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses. We've taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days. And they're saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.
And we are mindful, we are mindful that there are Americans in Syria, including those who reside there, as well as Austin Tice, who was taken captive more than 12 years ago. We remain committed to returning him to his family.
As I've said, this is a moment of considerable risk and uncertainty, but I also believe this is the best opportunity in generations for Syrians to forge their own future free of opposition.
It's also an opportunity, through far from certain -- though it's far from certain, for a more secure and prosperous Middle East, where our friends are safe, where our enemies are contained. And it would be a waste of this historic opportunity if one tyrant were toppled and only a -- only to see a new one rise up in its place.
So, it's now incumbent upon all the opposition groups who seek a role in governing Syria to demonstrate their commitment to the rights of all Syrians, the rule of law, and the protection of religious and ethnic minorities.
These past few days have been historic, and, you know, it's in the days ahead that will determine the future of this country, and we intend to approach them with strength, wisdom, and resolve.
So, thank you very much. God bless America. And God protect our troops.
Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What should happen to Assad now, Mr. President?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does the U.S. know about where Austin Tice might be and if he's safe?
BIDEN: We believe he's alive. We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet. And Assad should be held accountable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you directed an operation to go get him, Mr. President?
BIDEN: Get who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Austin Tice.
BIDEN: We have to -- we want to get him out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
BIDEN: We have to identify where he is. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
BLITZER: So you heard the president as he was going through that door, answer a question about Austin Tice, the American who's been held prisoner in Syria for no reason at all for 12 years. We believe he's alive, the president says, and we and the United States will try to get him out. They're trying to find out where he is, and he's been in touch with his family as well.
On the more substantive issue right now, the overall situation in Syria, the president of the United States promised that the United States will remain vigilant and will work very, very closely to make sure that what happens in Syria now and in the region is peaceful and to the best interests of the United States. But he did say, this is a, and I'm quoting him now, a moment of risk and uncertainty.
What is clear, he also pointed out, is that the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in part because Iran, Russia and Hezbollah have been weakened or preoccupied with other issues. The main supporters of the Bashar al-Assad regime over these many years.
Historic mistake, indeed, he said, for Hezbollah to attack Israel the day after Hamas went into Israel October 7th and killed all those Israelis and took a bunch hostage as well.
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The fact that Hezbollah the next day started launching air attacks, missiles against Israel, a major historic mistake, he says, on the part of Hezbollah, which has now been severely, severely decimated the leadership of Hezbollah because of all of the Israeli strikes against Hezbollah over this past year as well.
Iran, he says, also has been weakened. They try twice to attack Israel. Both of those missions, including some 300 ballistic missiles that were launched from inside Iran against Israel, failed because the U.S. together with Israel, put together a coalition of partners to defeat the Iranian regime as it was trying to attack Israel.
Lots of news in that statement, about a 10-minute statement by the President of the United States following all morning high level security briefings with his top national security officials over at the White House. We want to continue our analysis of what's going on. Is Kayla Tausche there, our White House correspondent? Kayla, go ahead and give us your analysis of what we just heard.
TAUSCHE: Wolf, the president delivered equal parts victory lap and roadmap in that statement from the Roosevelt Room there, talking about the actions that his administration has taken up to this point to weaken the would be backers of the Assad regime, essentially to provide the environment in which a rebel group could overthrow it, and essentially suggesting that work is what allowed this current situation to take place.
And then he also offered some insight into what comes next, while acknowledging that there are so many unknowns about exactly what will take place in the days and weeks and months to come as new leadership gains a foothold in Syria. But he said that the United States is going to be supporting a United Nations organized process to transition power there.
But he also called on other opposition groups within Syria to make their voices heard and to step into the void, a sort of tacit recognition that the U.S. while happy about the fact that Assad is no longer in power, does not necessarily support the rebel groups that have overthrown him.
He said that the U.S. is going to be supporting Syria's neighbors, that he'll be speaking to leaders in the region in the coming days and sending members of his own administration to continue that work in person. And that the U.S. military is also going to be working strategically to try to prevent any resurgence of ISIS in the region.
We know that there are some ties by this group given its it was born out of essentially an Al Qaeda branch, that there are real concerns about what its ideology is and what it will pursue and how it will govern going forward.
The president noting that the U.S. military carried out precision strikes on ISIS facilities in Syria just in recent days even while this offensive was going on. So clearly that work by U.S. troops there will continue. And of course, we imagine that the president and his team will be engaging with the United Nations as well to figure out this day after plan for what comes next in the region.
So interesting to hear the president talking about all of that, both what has happened up until now and what will come going forward, even while acknowledging there's still so much they don't know, Wolf. BLITZER: And he did say, the president of the United States, that the
United States will continue to support Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel in the aftermath of what has happened in Damascus right now in Syria. Kayla, standby. I'm going to get back to you.
I want to bring in Fred Pleitgen, our international correspondent, who's now in Moscow where just a little while ago, as you know, Fred, the Russian state media organization TASS reported that Bashar al- Assad, the now former dictator, the former leader of Syria and his family have arrived in Moscow and they've been granted asylum in Russia as well. Give us the latest. What else is what else are you hearing over there?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, source now confirming an official source, Wolf, that Bashar al-Assad and members of his family have been granted asylum here in Russia and are now in Moscow, have landed here in Moscow. This, of course, came after a day of uncertainty as to the whereabouts of the former Syrian president, the former Syrian leader.
One of the things that the Russians had said fairly early on this was in the form of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Wolf. They had said that Bashar al-Assad had agreed to cede power and leave Syria. So the Russians were actually the first ones to confirm that Bashar al-Assad had actually left the country.
However, it was unclear where exactly he had gone to at that point in time or whether or not the Russians had actually helped him leave the country.
One of the interesting sort of side notes that we're actually seeing here on the ground inside Russia, Wolf, is that at the Syrian embassy, the former embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic, of course, under Bashar al-Assad, the flag of that embassy, the Assad Syria flag, has already been taken down. And apparently the plaque of the Syrian Arab Republic has already been removed from that embassy as well.
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So the Russians, certainly, for their part, very much in line with the fact that this transition of power is taking place. The Russians are saying that they are in contact with all of the opposition groups as well. And of course, you know, we've been mentioning it, you've been mentioning it a lot. The Russians, one of the main backers of the Assad government for a very long time, they certainly were by far the most potent force, at least as far as the air force is concerned, in helping him stay in power during the hard times of the civil war.
Now, the Russians apparently also in line with him leaving power. The big question, of course, for the Russians now, this is something that we're hearing on the ground as well, is their military bases. They have a big air base in near Latakia. They also have the Tartus Naval base. Very important for the Russia. The future of those very much in question right now. Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, lots of dramatic historic developments unfolding right now. Fred Pleitgen reporting from Moscow. We will clearly stay in very close touch with you as well. Thank you very much.
And to our viewers, our special breaking news coverage will continue. Stay with us. Newsroom will continue right after a quick break.
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