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THIS IS the moment Israeli strikes on Syrian airbases lit up the country's night sky following the fall of Assad's brutal regime.
An airbase belonging to the dictator, thought to have stored Iranian missiles, was pounded on Monday night.
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The spectacular collapse of terrorist Assad's regime on Sunday has sparked concerns over a power vacuum forming in the wartorn nation.
Several international players have carried out strikes across Syria, mostly targeting arms plants and bases, out of concern for whose hands abandoned weapons could end up in.
Footage on Monday night showed a spectacular string of hits on the Qamishli airbase in the northeast of the country, per Sky News.
The ammunition dump was an Israeli hit, sources told Reuters.
The blitz raged for at least 30 minutes as the sound of shells and arms blowing up rang across the area.
This military base was reportedly also thought to have stored missiles for Assad's ally Iran, per Sky News.
Israel conducted several airstrikes throughout Syria on Monday, destroying dozens of abandoned helicopters and planes.
Huge fires were also spotted at another ammunition dump neighbouring the Qamishli airbase.
It was initially unclear who could have been behind these explosions, due to the fraught politics of this region.
The Qamishli airbase was situated in a Kurdish controlled part of Syria, neighbouring the border with Turkey.
Syrian rebels' leader enters Damascus after Assad lightning takedown
Turkey has fought Kurdish separatists for decades and views these groups fighting on its border as a threat.
Despite this, Israel has claimed responsibility for some of the explosions reported across the country.
Israel has reportedly also been behind strikes at Aqrba airport, southwest of Damascus, and Shinshar base, on the outskirts of Homs.
The country has conducted more than 100 airstrikes in Syria on Monday including a hit on Latakia Port, where Syrian navy vessels were docked.
WARNING SHOTS
The dramatic end of Assad's 24-year brutal reign on Sunday marked the start of foreign airstrikes across Syria.
America quickly deployed more than 75 "precision airstikes" in the country, The Sun previously reported.
President Joe Biden warned that ISIS would exploit the regime change in Syria and attempt to reestablish itself.
He said: "We will not let that happen."
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Biden praised the downfall of Assad but also warned it was a "moment of risk and uncertainty" for the Middle East.
ISIS had created a caliphate across large parts of Syria after the civil war broke out 13 years ago, and at one point controlled a third of the country.
It has since lost most of its influence in the area but US officials have said they would work to route out any potential comeback.
FLEEING TYRANT
Assad reportedly fled to Russia with his family where they have been granted asylum, Russian state media reported on Sunday.
Remarkable footage has allegedly shown the inside of the Assad family's secret underground tunnel network.
It was reportedly filmed after rebels stormed mansions owned by the family.
Bashar Al-Assad's downfall
THE end of Assad’s reign came abruptly this month as rebel forces launched a lightning offensive, exploiting weakened Syrian defences.
THE end of Assad’s reign came abruptly this month as rebel forces launched a lightning offensive, exploiting weakened Syrian defences.
Rebels captured Damascus in a lightning campaign, declaring the capital “free” and marking the end of years of brutal authoritarian rule.
With Russia mired in Ukraine and Iran preoccupied with regional conflicts, Assad’s regime was left vulnerable.
Rebels stormed Aleppo, marking a symbolic victory, and Assad fled Damascus.
Assad left aboard a military plane amid rumours of its crash before resurfacing in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin granted him asylum.
It comes as an apparent Russian conspiracy to distribute false news about an al-Assad 'aircraft accident' has been exposed.
The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security claimed on X that Russia "hid their trail" in assisting al-Assad's escape by circulating fake claims that he died in a crash.
Meanwhile, opposition forces took control of key cities, toppled Assad’s statues, and announced plans for a transitional government.
The fall of Assad deals a blow to allies Russia and Iran, with both withdrawing assets from Syria.
Challenges remain as Syrians celebrate, but hopes rise for a democratic future after years of war.
His fall not only signals the collapse of a dynastic dictatorship but also underscores the cost of clinging to power through terror.
Bashar al-Assad has left behind a shattered nation.
He decimated Syria’s infrastructure, fractured its society, and plunged millions into despair.
Syria became synonymous with human suffering, and Assad’s name will forever be tied to some of the worst war crimes of the modern era.
The man once seen as a modernising reformer will be remembered instead as a symbol of unchecked brutality, his legacy written in the blood of his own people.
English (US) · 