Nations call for stability in Mideast amid Syria crisis

China said it is closely following the situation in Syria and hopes that stability will return to the country as soon as possible, after Syrian opposition forces pulled off a lightning 10-day offensive, capturing vast areas of government-held territory, and stormed into the capital, Damascus, early Sunday.

Several other countries joined the chorus for ending conflicts and restoring stability in the Middle East region, after Syrian state television aired a video statement of a man in military fatigues, flanked by armed fighters, who said that President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown.

The statement came hours after a Syrian opposition war monitor said that Assad had left the country for an undisclosed location. Multiple media outlets also reported his departure from Syria.

Xinhua News Agency journalists in Damascus reported hearing intense gunfire reverberating through the streets, and said they witnessed heavy traffic with vehicles trying to leave the capital.

Three powerful explosions rocked Damascus on Sunday evening, with local media reports claiming these were Israeli airstrikes targeting abandoned military bases.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of the Islamist rebel alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which engineered the offensive, said that Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali will oversee public institutions until an official transfer of authority is completed.

Jalali expressed his readiness to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. "We extend our hands to every Syrian citizen committed to safeguarding the country's resources," he said in a televised address. "Syria belongs to all Syrians, and I urge everyone to think rationally about the nation's best interests."

China is actively helping Chinese nationals who wish to leave Syria to do so in a safe and orderly way, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday. The Chinese government is also staying in contact with those still in Syria and offering them advice on how to stay safe, the spokesperson said.

"The Chinese embassy is still up and running and carrying out its duty in Syria. We will continue to give every possible assistance to Chinese nationals in need," the spokesperson added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that Assad resigned as Syria's president and departed from the country after calling for a peaceful transfer of power. It added that Russia did not participate in any talks related to the transfer of power.

United States President Joe Biden and his team "are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners", the White House said in a statement.

Israel said it has deployed forces in the United Nations-monitored buffer zone with Syria and in other areas deemed necessary for defense. "We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Iran called for "the swift end of military conflicts, the prevention of terrorist actions, and the commencement of national dialogue" with all sectors of Syrian society.

Turkiye called on all actors to act with prudence and to be watchful. A new Syrian administration must be established inclusively, and there should be no desire for revenge, the country's foreign minister said.

Qatar renewed its calls for ending the crisis in Syria, Jordan urged avoiding any conflict that could further destabilize the region, Saudi Arabia said it is determined to do "what is possible to avoid a chaotic outcome" for Syria, and Egypt affirmed its support for the Syrian people and the country's sovereignty and unity.

Yu Guoqing, a researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Daily that given Syria's important geographical location, any changes in its domestic political situation are bound to have an impact on the Middle East, as well as on other strife-torn regions.

Yang Yilin and Zhao Jia in Beijing contributed to this story.

Xinhua—Agencies