Most of Monday’s papers lead with the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad following an armed rebellion against his 24-year rule. The Financial Times calls it a “stunning offensive” by the rebels. The FT reports on the “euphoria” of Syrians, with Omar Seif, 24, saying: “Today, I can breathe for the first time.”
“Assad falls… but what now?” is the question the Metro asks. The paper says the line from Moscow – which backed the Syrian regime militarily in recent years, is that Assad left after talks with “other participants in the conflict.” One of the accompanying pictures on the paper’s front page is of a rebel sitting at the ousted president’s desk, which is still covered in maps.
The i goes with a full-page picture of a woman waving a Syrian rebel flag above her head – with the paper saying the opposition forces declared “victory for Islamic nation”. The paper says people ransacked the presidential palace, while refugees abroad crowded the country’s borders in the hope of returning home.
The Daily Express headline says there is “delight in Syria”, saying refugees in neighbouring Lebanon hailed the coup. The paper reports that thousands of Syrians took to the streets chanting “Assad is gone”. The paper’s front page picture shows Syrians smiling with their arms held up in victory.
Sounding a note of caution, the Daily Mail asks “Is worse to come?”. It quotes US President Joe Biden calling the toppling of the Assad regime “a moment of risk and uncertainty” which the paper says is down to the Syrian rebels’ “grim record of terrorism”.
The Daily Telegraph says Israel has “seized territory on the border and bombed military targets” in Syria, saying action is needed to stem new threats. Israel already occupies the Golan Heights – historically part of Syria – and has now taken control of the buffer zone after Assad’s soldiers abandoned their posts.
The Guardian reflects on “celebrations across Syria” with crowds of people waving flags and pulling down portraits and statues of Assad and his father Hafez al-Assad. “Celebratory gunfire and car horns” echoed around the capital, according to the paper. As well as the Assad family fleeing, the road linking Damascus to the Lebanese capital Beirut was “lined with discarded army uniforms”, the Guardian adds.
The Times presents a series of stills, showing the toppling of a statue of Bashar al-Assad’s late father, former President Hafez al-Assad. “Syrians hail the fall of Assad”, the headline reads, as rebels freed prisoners – many who had been locked up because they opposed the regime. Women and children were among those released, the Times says, adding that families across the country were hoping to find family who were among the “tens of thousands” who disappeared during Syria’s 13-year civil war.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror leads with the mother of Liz Hatton, the 17-year-old photographer and terminally ill cancer patient who hugged the Princess of Wales in October. Victoria Robayna thanked the princess for making her daughter’s “dreams come true” during her final months before she died.
“Tis the season to be jolly windy”, the Daily Star says, adding that winds of up to 70mph could cause Christmas travel chaos. The paper says the winds will “sweep in” from the Atlantic over the coming weeks.
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