Middle East/Levant & Turkey

'I thought the guards were still there, so I thought the warfare could have been more active than it ended up being…once we got out, there was no resistance, there was no real fighting'

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei apparently referred to Turkey, a supporter of the rebels, as the 'neighboring country' involved, while putting the weight of responsibility on the US and Israel

Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was transferred to Russia 'in the most secure manner,' according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov

The Russian army relies on agreements with rebel organizations that will allow it to leave the country 'without disturbance' • For this reason, Moscow stopped calling the rebels 'terrorists'

The new government will soon publish a first list of names of individuals who have tortured the Syrian people

Rebel groups are seeking to reach underground sections of the infamous Saydnaya prison, where opponents of the Assad regime are held • A cash reward has been offered, but so far without success

Air raids attributed to Israel were carried out around Damascus, targeting sophisticated weapons and military installations – as well as a facility holding chemical weapons

International media earlier suggested that Bashar al-Assad was killed as the plane he was fleeing on crashed

'It's a morning of victory,' a senior opposition official said – 'Thank you Israel"

'We have managed to advance on several axes within and towards the city center,' an opposition source said

Commander of the rebel forces in Aleppo, Abu Obdo, in a special interview with i24NEWS that 'We are fighting against a common enemy. The enemy is the criminal Iranian regime and all its branches'

President Bashar al-Assad is in his most precarious position in years as the Syrian opposition forces make major gains in a massive offensive

NSC spokesperson blames Assad for creating conditions that allowed anti-government forces their most significant gains in years

Rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham mount the largest offensive in years

Opposition takes heavy losses as air support from Russia helps stop the advance, which succeeded in capturing several towns in the Idlib and Aleppo countryside

The launcher, primed for attack, was found in a Hezbollah weapons depot in a southern Lebanese village

Israeli military official confirms reports of a naval commando raid in north Lebanon resulting in the capture of a top Hezbollah operative

Israel apparently was not impressed with the announcement, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowing that the new leader will soon meet the fate of his predecessors.

Some media reports claimed a suicide attack had occurred and that there were hostages inside the building, though officials have not confirmed this.

It is understood the body was recovered from beneath the rubble in the Dahieh suburb of southern Beirut

Strong blasts and smoke subsequently reported in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh

'The strikes against leadership and operatives of ISIS and the Al Qaeda affiliate, Hurras al-Din, represent CENTCOM's commitment to the enduring defeat of terrorist organizations'

This is a developing story