US aircraft carrier strike group arrives in Middle East

The move was planned before the fall of the Assad regime, an official said.

Last Updated: December 16, 2024, 3:49 AM EST

Rebel forces in Syria captured the capital Damascus and toppled the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. The Israel Defense Forces continues its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza.

Tensions also remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides.

Dec 10, 2024, 2:15 PM EST

White Helmets demand Assad hand over maps of secret prisons

After searching Monday for secret prisons and cells, the White Helmets are now demanding Bashar Assad hand over the locations of the regime's secret prisons along with a list of detainees being held.

Many believe there are still prisons that have yet to be discovered.

"The defunct Assad regime has practiced indescribable brutality and criminality in killing, arresting, and torturing Syrians, prolonging the period of oppression and pain in the hearts of mothers. Justice for all victims and holding accountable the perpetrators of crimes against Syrians is the first step in healing wounds and supporting peace-building efforts," the White Helmets said in a statement Tuesday.

The White Helmets said they sent a request to the United Nations through an international mediator to demand that Russia pressure Assad to release the information so the prisoners can be reached.

Dec 10, 2024, 1:27 PM EST

Israel will act 'to ensure security,' but won't interfere in Syria, Netanyahu says

Israel will act decisively against positions in Syria if Hezbollah reemerges, but it has "no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Syria," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in remarks Tuesday.

"I authorized the Air Force to bomb strategic military capabilities left behind by the Syrian army, so that they would not fall into the hands of the jihadists," Netanyahu said.

"We want relations with the new regime in Syria. But if this regime allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria, or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or attacks us -- we will respond forcefully and we will exact a heavy price from him," Netanyahu said.

Dec 10, 2024, 12:29 PM EST

IDF says they've destroyed almost all Assad regime capability

The Israel Defense Forces said it has hit about 320 targets, destroying almost all of the Assad regime army's capability throughout Syria, from Damascus to Tartus.

"The operation destroyed dozens of fighter jets, combat helicopters, radars, surface-to-air missile batteries, ships, surface-to-surface missiles, rockets, weapons production sites, weapons depots, Scud missiles, cruise missiles, coastal missiles, sea-to-sea missiles, UAVs, and more," the IDF said in a statement Tuesday.

Smoke billows following airstrikes in Damascus early, Dec. 10, 2024.
Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images

"The operation is still ongoing on the ground, with the IDF ground forces operating in the buffer zone. There, too, the IDF is working to establish a grip on the area, destroy weapons, and ensure that they do not fall into unwanted hands," the IDF said.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Dec 10, 2024, 12:21 PM EST

Fighting escalates between Kurds, Turkey-supported group in northeast Syria

With focus still on the collapse of Bashar Assad’s government, there are signs fighting is dramatically escalating in northeast Syria. The area is held by U.S.-backed Kurds, while Turkey-supported rebel groups have gone on the offensive there, aided by Turkish airpower.

The Turkish rebels have attacked the territory controlled by the Kurds, who helped the U.S. defeat the Islamic State in eastern Syria. There are fears that Turkey -- which has waged a long war against the Kurds and considers the U.S.-backed group to be a terrorist group -- will use the chaos in Syria to now force them back.

There are reports the Turkish-backed rebels are now advancing on Kobani, an important Kurdish-majority town on Turkey’s border. It comes a day after the rebels successfully drove the Kurds from the key town of Manbij in northern Syria.

There are concerns that if Turkey and its rebel proxies press on against the Kurds it could endanger the containment efforts against the Islamic State. The Kurds currently guard 50,000 Islamic State prisoners in camps and are also essential to prevent the group regaining a foothold.

There are calls from some for the U.S. to warn Turkey to pull the rebels back.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

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