US, Israel launch airstrikes on Syria as world urges peace

The United States and Israeli forces launched a barrage of airstrikes on targets in Syria after rebels toppled its long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, who along with his family has reportedly landed in Russia and will seek political asylum there.

Smerican warplanes struck more than 75 Islamic State targets in Syria on Sunday, hitting the group's leaders, operatives and camps, the US military said.

Strikes were carried out against "over 75 targets using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s," the US Central Command said on social media.

Meanwhile, Israel also launched strikes on weapons depots in the country's east on Sunday, a war monitor said, after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's government earlier Sunday.

"Israel has conducted air strikes on weapon depots and positions that belonged to the defunct regime and Iran-backed groups in the eastern Deir Ezzor province," Rami Abdel Rahman who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP. He reported "increased Israeli strikes" on such targets since President Bashar al-Assad fled the country as rebels seized the capital.

Nations urge stability, peace

World powers vowed to work for stability in Syria and the surrounding region after rebels toppled its long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Here is a round-up of key reactions:

- High alert: Russia -

Assad's ally Moscow said Russian troops in Syria were on high alert but that the rebels had "guaranteed" the security of its army bases in the country.

Prior to reports that Assad had fled to Moscow, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that Syria must not be allowed to fall into the hands of a "terrorist group".

- 'Assad should be held accountable': US -

"We will engage with all Syrian groups... to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward independent, sovereign" Syria, US President Joe Biden said.

"Assad should be held accountable," he said when asked what should happen to the deposed president.

- 'Return to stability': China -

Beijing "is closely following the development of the situation in Syria and hopes that Syria returns to stability as soon as possible", the foreign ministry said.

- 'Friendly relations': Iran -

Iran's foreign ministry said it expects "friendly" relations with Syria to continue. It said it would adopt "appropriate approaches" towards Syria in accordance with the behaviour of "effective actors" in Damascus.

- 'Heal wounds': Turkey -

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country, which has supported rebel movements in Syria, would help "to heal Syria's wounds and guarantee its unity, integrity and security".

- 'Cautious hope': UN -

The UN envoy for Syria called the rebel takeover "a watershed moment" for the country marred by nearly 14 years of civil war.

"Today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new (chapter) -- one of peace, reconciliation, dignity and inclusion for all Syrians," special envoy Geir Pedersen said.

- End to 'barbaric' state: France -

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the fall of Bashar al-Assad's "barbaric state" in Syria.

"I pay tribute to the Syrian people, to their courage, to their patience."

- 'Contribution': Germany -

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Berlin was ready to make "its contribution" to a political solution to bring peace back to the war-stricken country.

"Bashar Al-Assad has oppressed his own people in a brutal manner, he has countless lives on his conscience," said the German leader.

- 'Work together': UAE -

A senior United Arab Emirates official urged Syrians to collaborate in order to avert a spiral into chaos.

"We hope that the Syrians will work together, that we don't just see another episode of impending chaos," presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.

- 'Peace and stability': UK -

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for a peaceful and stable Syria, urging the protection of civilians and minorities.

Arriving in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, the premier said he was "talking to regional allies", calling the removal of Assad a "real opportunity".

- 'Long-awaited': EU -

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would help to rebuild "a Syrian state that protects all minorities".

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas hailed Assad's fall as "a positive and long-awaited development" which "also shows the weakness of Assad's backers, Russia and Iran".

- Blow to Iran: Israel -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Assad's overthrow as the fall of a "central link in Iran's axis of evil".

He called it "a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah", the militant group that Israel has been bombarding in Lebanon.

- Don't rely on Putin: Ukraine -

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga welcomed Assad's departure, saying that authoritarians who rely on support from Putin are destined to fall, while stressing Kyiv's support for Syria's people.

- Independent Islamic government: Taliban -

Afghanistan's Taliban government congratulated the Syrian people and rebels, hoping a transition would lead to "an independent and service-oriented Islamic government" and a Syria "free from external interference".

- 'Free will': Iraq -

Iraq urged respect for the "free will of all Syrians and emphasises that the security, territorial integrity and independence of Syria are of paramount importance", government spokesman Basim Alawadi said.

- 'Freedom and prosperity': Japan -

Tokyo is watching the latest developments "with great interest", Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

"We strongly hope that violence will cease in Syria as soon as possible and that all Syrians will be able to enjoy their basic human rights, freedom and prosperity," he added.

- 'Immense needs': Red Cross -

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that Syrians faced "immense and urgent needs" after "immense suffering" caused by more than a decade of conflict.

Biden calls for Assad to be 'held accountable'

US President Joe Biden on Sunday said deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should be "held accountable" but called the nation's political upheaval a "historic opportunity" for Syrians to rebuild their country.

In the first full US reaction to Assad's overthrow by an Islamist-led coalition of rebel factions, Biden also warned that Washington will "remain vigilant" against the emergence of terrorist groups, announcing that US forces had just conducted fresh strikes against militants from the Islamic State organization.

"The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice," Biden said from the White House. "It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria."

Asked by reporters what should happen to the deposed president, who reportedly has fled to Moscow, Biden said "Assad should be held accountable."

Biden -- set to step down in January and make way for Republican Donald Trump's return to power -- said Washington will assist Syrians in rebuilding.

"We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad government toward independent, sovereign" Syria "with a new constitution," he said.

However, Biden cautioned that hardline Islamist groups within the victorious rebel alliance will face scrutiny.

"Some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses," Biden said.

The United States had "taken note" of recent statements by rebels suggesting they had since moderated, he said, but cautioned: "We will assess not just their words, but their actions."

Biden said Washington is "clear eyed" that the Islamic State extremist group, often known as ISIS, "will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish" itself in Syria.

"We will not let that happen," he said, adding that US forces on Sunday conducted strikes against ISIS inside Syria.

The US military said warplanes hit Islamic State operatives and camps.

Strikes were carried out against "over 75 targets using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s," the US Central Command said.

- 'Reason for hope' -

Assad's reported departure comes less than two weeks after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group challenged more than five decades of Assad family rule with a lightning rebel offensive that broke long-frozen frontlines in Syria's civil war.

They announced Sunday they had taken Damascus and that Assad fled, prompting nationwide celebrations and a ransacking of Assad's luxurious home.

A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies the deposed leader and family were now in Moscow.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed Biden's optimism, saying that "after 14 years of conflict, the Syrian people finally have reason for hope."

He also reiterated the need for justice and vigilance.

"We will support international efforts to hold the Assad regime and its backers accountable for atrocities and abuses perpetrated against the Syrian people, including the use of chemical weapons."

One outstanding concern is the fate of the Syrian government's apparent stockpile of such weapons, and whether they will fall into rebel hands.

"We are taking very prudent measures in that regard," a senior US administration official told reporters Sunday.

The US military has "good fidelity" on the location of chemical weapons, the official said, stressing that "we're doing everything we can to prudently ensure that those materials... obviously are either not available to anyone or are cared for."

Damascus has been accused on numerous occasions of using chemical weapons, charges it denies.

The US military has around 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq as part of the international coalition established in 2014 to help combat the Islamic State jihadist group.

It has regularly struck targets in the country including those linked to Iranian-backed militias. Tehran was a major backer of Assad's government.

Biden also confirmed US authorities believe the American journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria in 2012, is still alive, but they have yet "to identify where he is."