Hezbollah’s media relations chief killed in Israeli strike on Beirut

The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule over the Arab country after the militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed and captured the capital Damascus.

In a statement on Sunday morning, the HTS militants declared that they had captured the capital, confirming reports of the fall of the Assad government.

Earlier in the day, Reuters quoted an unnamed officer as saying that the Syrian army command notified officers that the Assad government had fallen.

Ready to cooperate with power transfer: Syrian PM

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali expressed the government’s readiness to “extend its hand” to the militants and hand over its functions to a transitional government.

“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” he said in a video statement.

He also noted that he would go to his office to continue work in the morning, calling on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.

Foreign-backed militants, led by the HTS, waged a surprise two-pronged attack on Syria’s Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib on November 27.

Soon afterward, they captured several Syrian cities, including Hama, Homs, Dara’a, Suwayda, and Damascus.

HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani called on militants to leave state institutions unharmed.

“To all military forces in the city of Damascus, it is strictly forbidden to approach public institutions, which will remain under the supervision of the former Prime Minister until they are officially handed over, and it is also forbidden to fire bullets into the air,” he said in a statement released on Telegram.

HTS declares fall of Assad government

In their statement, the HTS militant group, which called itself the Syrian National Transitional Council, announced the toppling of the Assad government.

It further vowed to “preserve the unity and sovereignty of Syrian territory, … protect all citizens and their property, regardless of their affiliations,” and “achieve comprehensive national reconciliation.”

Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of militants saying that President Assad has been overthrown and all prisoners have been released.

“The city of Damascus has been liberated,” said one of the militants who read the statement.

“All the prisoners have been released from the prison of Damascus. We wish all our fighters and citizens preserve and maintain the property of the state of Syria. Long live Syria.”

‘In cooperation with UN'

Head of the Syrian National Coalition, Hadi al-Bahra, said, “The situation is safe, and there is no room for revenge or retaliation.”

“Government institutions will resume operations within two days” and that the “transfer of power will take place in cooperation with the United Nations,” he told Al-Arabiya.

Mangaluru City Corporation Mayor Manoj Kumar issued a stern directive to GAIL Gas Limited, instructing them to immediately restore roads damaged during their ongoing gas pipeline project.

The issue, which has left motorists and residents frustrated, dominated discussions at a special meeting chaired by the mayor on Monday. Corporators unanimously criticized the delay in road restoration, with Opposition Leader Anil Kumar warning that the project should be halted if the roads remain neglected.

Corporator Naveen D’Souza pointed out that permissions granted for the pipeline project were limited to two years, yet the roadwork disruption has dragged on for over five years. He demanded criminal charges and penalties against responsible officials for the prolonged inconvenience.

Adding to the outcry, Corporator Sangeetha Nayak called for MCC engineers to inspect the affected areas, while Corporator Varun Chowta flagged a severe lack of coordination between MCC, GAIL, and Jalasiri 24x7 officials.

The mayor directed GAIL Gas Limited to submit a report within two days addressing the complaints raised. He also insisted on a detailed update on the project’s implementation to be presented at the next review meeting, aiming for a resolution to the ongoing chaos.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday granted bail to the prime accused actors Darshan Thoogudeepa Srinivas and Pavithra Gowda in the Renukaswmy murder case.

Justice S Vishwajith Shetty said that all the petitions have been allowed.

The other accused in the case, Nagaraju, Anu Kumar, Lakshman, Jagadeesh alias Jagga and R Pradoosh Rao have also been granted bail.

Renukaswamy was found dead on June 8, 2024. He was working in a medical shop in Chitradurga. The accused had kidnapped and allegedly murdered him in a shed at Pattanagere in R R Nagar police station limits of Bengaluru city for sending obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda.

The actor was arrested on June 11 this year. He was earlier lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Jail in Bengaluru, but when a photograph went viral showing him relaxing with some of the jail inmates, he was transferred to Ballari Central Jail.

Darshan is presently hospitalised for alleged back pain.