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Assad Regime Collapses As Rebels Take Syrian Capital; Netanyahu Orders Israeli Military To Seize Syria Buffer Zone. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 08, 2024 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:34]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us. I'm Alisyn Camerota in New York, along with my colleague Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

And we begin with breaking news. The long, brutal regime of Syrian president Bashar al Assad is over.

It was a stunning end to a violent regime started by Assad's father more than 50 years ago.

A lightning-fast assault by a coalition of rebel groups captured the capital of Damascus.

Russian state media now reporting that Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and been given asylum there.

Many Syrians spent their entire lives under Assad's violent rule. Today, they poured into the streets to celebrate. Syrians who had lived under the fist of Assad's power and corruption could be seen flooding into the presidential office after it was abandoned. Syrians could now walk through the presidential palace, even into the kitchen of Assad's family, where specific instructions were still posted for the family's menu preferences.

The rebels also emptied out some of the regime's prisons, notorious places where people who were designated as enemies of Assad were detained and frequently tortured.

It was just a little more than a week ago when opposition forces met little resistance as they took the key city of Aleppo. Then they swept south before surrounding Damascus and deposing Assad.

In the end Russian fighter jets, which had been striking rebel forces in recent days were nowhere to be found. Assad's troops dispersed and fled into the streets.

Just moments ago, president Biden reacted to these stunning developments, pledging U.S. support for the Syrian people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country. It's also a moment of risk and uncertainty as we all turn to the question of what comes next.

The United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward was near Lebanon's border with Syria, where celebrations erupted right after Bashar al Assad's regime collapsed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are just now about 20 miles from the Syrian border and you can see celebrations are breaking out everywhere.

This woman actually has just offered me some sweets.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WARD: This is the mood right now. It is festive. It is jubilant.

Take a look with me. You can see people are waving the flags. The flag of the Syrian revolution. It has got three stars.

You can see children. And it's just an extraordinary moment.

I think no one realized that this would ever actually happen after so many years of waiting. So many years. A lot of fireworks as well. Let's keep moving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar.

Ward: So this man is from the city of Homs. He is obviously completely overcome with joy at what is happening here.

We can see these little girls here as well.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

They said they're very happy. Bashar al-Assad has fallen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:04:45]

BLITZER: And you can hear that young man screaming out "Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. God is great. God is great."

Moments ago, Clarissa and her team spoke to us from inside the Syrian capital of Damascus. Here is some of what she told us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: It's a little bit eerie, certainly. And there's definitely a sense when you talk to people that they're delighted, but they're cautious. They're concerned. What comes next?

Will there be chaos? Will there be lawlessness? Will we see more looting like we saw today?

But if you have that other clip pulled up, I just would love our viewers to be able to see the scene at that border crossing as we pass through it again.

It was already dark, already past curfew, very, very quiet and just nothing like we've seen it before.

The only real evidence we saw Wolf, of any struggle to finally take Damascus, to finally oust Bashar al-Assad was a tank in the road below a torn poster of president, or I should say, former president Bashar al-Assad.

Take a look at that clip if you can.

So we are just crossing now into Syria.

It's astonishing to see. It's absolutely empty.

The border points before there would have been soldiers, there would have been border guards. Now there is absolutely nobody from the Syrian regime.

Just friendly people waving us through. And honestly, the last time I came down this road was back in 2011. I was leaving Syria.

I had been undercover in Damascus posing as a tourist went back into Lebanon, and I never imagined this moment would come when we would be driving through this border with no one from the regime to stop us.

And Wolf, my cameraman, Scott McWhinnie (ph), just found this on the ground, literally, as we were listening to that clip. This is the old flag of the Syrian regime which has two green stars.

The rebels' flag has three green stars, but this one has now been, literally we just found it on the floor.

I guess a real moment where you see how much things have changed just in the past 24 hours. In terms of the security situation on the streets, I would just add, we anticipated that we might see quite a lot of checkpoints as we came into the city. We didn't.

We did see a group of men. They did not appear to be armed, but they asked us what we were doing, where we were going. And now that we are sort of ensconced in our place where we're staying for the night, we have seen a couple of patrols. I saw two men armed and I went up to them and asked them where they

were from. They told me they were from Idlib, which is in the northern part of the country.

And we saw a man on the street go up and wanted to pose for a photograph of them, which I think sort of speaks to the moment.

There is obviously jubilation, elation, but also this sense of you can't compute. It was so fast, so breathtaking. It's astonishing.

And I think people are taking some time to try to process the magnitude. Keep in mind, Wolf, were talking about 53 years of Assad rule, 53 years of a brutal police state.

And I can't tell you how many Syrians have said to me Wolf, that, you know we understand that there are concerns about the rebels and the makeup of the rebels. And the fact that some of them are Islamists and some of them are even jihadists, or have been affiliated with al Qaeda or a proscribed organization.

But let us have this moment. Let us celebrate the fact that this brutal dictator who has ruthlessly killed hundreds of thousands of people, who has gassed children with lethal nerve agents, who has locked people in prisons and tortured and beaten them to death, that he is finally gone.

And that whatever may come and whatever the anxiety, this is a new chapter for Syria, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: All right. Clarissa Ward now having made her way to Damascus, the Syrian capital.

Clarissa, thank you very much.

I want to bring in CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson right now. He's done a lot of reporting from Syria and the Middle East over the years.

Nic, what do we know first of all, about this transition of power in Syria right now?

[14:09:47]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, risk and opportunity is sort of the way that President Biden spoke about it in his speech there. He mentioned being vigilant, and he said that because we've heard, he said, what the rebel leadership who had its roots in al Qaeda, we've heard what they're saying. It sounds like its good.

They're talking about a nonsectarian society with a new political dispensation. And this is something that President Biden said they need to live up to. We've heard the words, but we need to see more. And what President Biden laid out that he expects is in the future is

a Syria that's sovereign and independent, which seems to be a very clear message, crystal clear. Russia and Iran will no longer have any kind of stake in the future of Syria.

So that's part of the political picture going forward. It's made up of the different ethnic groups. It's made up of the different religious groups. It's made up of all the different elements of society inside of Syria.

That's President Bidens aspiration. And that's very much what we've been hearing from the rebels. And I've been talking to actually a political grouping way outside of the rebel structure who were central to peace talks back with Assad's regime and about a decade ago the United States was playing a role in that.

And there was a lot of work laid out back then for what a new government could look like, what a new constitution could look like, who could be involved in it. And this political leader told me that's the direction he believes that the country is headed in, again a period of military security.

The military pulled back. There's a power-sharing government for a period of time, six to nine months perhaps he outlined. And then elections.

And this really fits in with what, you know, President Biden was saying that this new Syria will have a new constitution -- some of that's been drafted in the past, and a new government. The plans to get that new government and achieve it have been made there.

But President Biden being very clear that ISIS will not be allowed to fill a vacuum. U.S. strikes on ISIS today, the security of U.S. forces vitally important, but also making sure that ISIS doesn't get stronger and remembering that there are hundreds and thousands of ISIS families and supporters in jails inside of Syria today in the rebel-held areas in the east that the United States supports and helps and helps keep them controlled.

That will be vital to oversee going forward. And that is going to be a strategic importance to the United States, so that that's the path that he's setting out.

The rebels are setting out a path of change. No longer brutality, political, religious pluralism plurality.

BLITZER: Nic, I want you and our viewers to listen to what the rebel leader who led this revolt against Bashar al-Assad's regime said just a short time ago.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABU MOHAMMAD AL-JOLANI, HAYAT TAHRIR AL-SHAM (HTS) LEADER (through translator): This victory, my brothers, is a victory for the entire Islamic nation.

This new triumph, my brothers, marks a new chapter in the history of the region, a history fraught with dangers, leaving Syria as a playground for Iranian ambitions, spreading sectarianism, stirring corruption. It became the world's leading source of captagon.

But today, Syria is being purified by the grace of god almighty and through the efforts of the heroic mujahideen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: So Nic, does that speech give us some insight on what could happen next, now that these rebel groups are in control?

ROBERTSON: Yes it does. I mean, you would expect, and this is what we've heard here in any speech, he's essentially going to thank his supporters, which is the Islamist fighters who've been part of this coalition of rebel groups.

And that's what he said. This is, you know, he -- and let's not forget the context of where he was. This is in the -- this mosque, the Umayyad mosque is in is in the heart of Damascus. It's an ancient and frankly, very beautiful building in old stone.

And it is sort of, if you will, the one place you would expect him to go and give a speech for an Islamist leader in the most venerated mosque in Syria.

In that context, he speaks to the people who got him to power and got him to Damascus. But he also speaks about no longer for Iran to have an interest. I think that very clearly sort of talks and speaks to the negative interference that he sees Iran has played in Syria but also to its Shia faith. He's a Sunni. There's a difference.

But when he speaks about captagon, that's a message to leaders in the region. Captagon the drug has been an absolutely pernicious and deadly impact on the countries in the region, from Jordan to Saudi Arabia.

They all want to see an end to that production. It's damaging their societies. The money of it kept Assad in power. And when he says that what Jolani is doing is speaking to the leaders in the region who will help continue to keep him in power.

[14:14:52]

ROBERTSON: So he's talked to the people that have brought him to a place of power and is talking regionally to those who he hopes can help keep him in power, Wolf.

BLITZER: And this new group, this group HTS, not necessarily a new group, but clearly a very powerful group right now. Hayat Tahrir al Sham is in charge. They've taken over for Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Nic Robertson reporting for us. Thank you very, very much.

We're also learning new details right now on where the former Syrian dictator, Bashar al Assad has fled. An official source in Russia tells CNN Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and have been granted asylum in Russia.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow for us. Fred, what more are you learning about Assad's arrival in in Russia.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes it seems that this happened throughout the course today.

Russia, of course, by far one of the biggest backers of the Assad government over the past couple of years, really doing a lot to keep Assad in power. And of course, also very important, keeping in power when that civil war was really at its height, and especially with Russia's air force.

Now tonight, a source telling CNN that Assad and members of his family, it's unclear how many, have arrived here in Moscow and have been granted asylum on humanitarian grounds, the source says, to stay here in Russia.

So it seems as though he has fled here to Russia, and he's being granted asylum here in Russia. And this really comes after a day of uncertainty, Wolf, as to the whereabouts of the Syrian president, Bashar al Assad.

Early this morning, of course, when those opposition forces and some other folks there in Syria stormed the presidential palace, it was totally unclear where Bashar al-Assad was at that point in time.

And it was the Russians who first confirmed that Bashar al-Assad had indeed left Syria. They said that Bashar al-Assad had instructed those working in his government to ensure a transfer of power, and then decided to leave the country.

So it was clear that the Russians certainly knew the whereabouts of Bashar al-Assad. They also said that they were not part of any negotiations or any sort of talks about that transfer in power.

So one of the things that we seem to be seeing is that they are obviously still taking care of Bashar al-Assad, making sure that he and his family can go here. But it appears as though that they are somewhat out of the political process that is going to follow next.

The Russians are saying that they are in touch with all of the groups, as they put it, the armed groups on the ground in Syria. But a lot of that for them, Wolf, is because of Russia's military assets that, of course, are substantial inside of Syria.

We're not just talking about their massive air base that they have in Hmeymim (ph) near Latakia, but of course, also the big port that they have as well in Tartus where just earlier last week, they launched a gigantic naval exercise testing some pretty potent longer-distance missiles, some of them nuclear capable.

So these two assets, very important for the Russians right now, very much in question. The Russians, however, are saying that Bashar al- Assad is now on the ground here in Moscow. members of his family are as well and just a little side note on that, just to show that the Russians seem to be right now, at least not interfering with any sort of transition that's going on in Syria.

We are also learning, Wolf, that on the former embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic, the flag of the Syrian Arab Republic under Bashar al- Assad has apparently been taken down. And also the plaque of the Syrian Arab Republic has also, at the embassy here in Moscow, been removed as well, Wolf.

BLITZER: And things like that don't happen by themselves. A very significant developments indeed.

Fred Pleitgen, thank you very, very much.

We'll have much more ahead on all the breaking news coming out of Syria. Dramatic developments, historic developments unfolding right now.

What this means for Syria's neighbors and the entire region. We'll update you on that when we come back.

[14:18:39]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Back now to the breaking news in Syria, where rebel forces have overtaken the regime of President Bashar al Assad, ending more than 50 years of brutal dictatorship.

The Pentagon says it will take necessary steps to protect the U.S. forces still stationed in Syria.

CNN's national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins us now. Natasha, there are about 900 American troops currently in Syria. What happens to them now?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're going to be staying there for now. We've got no indication either from President Biden or from U.S. Defense officials that they have any intention of pulling any of those roughly 900 troops out of Syria.

In fact President Biden, in his remarks earlier today, he said that our mission against ISIS, which is that core mission of the U.S. troops that are stationed there, will be maintained including, he said, crucially, the security of the detention facilities where ISIS fighters are being held as prisoners.

That is a really important part of the U.S. and coalition mission in Syria. And the U.S. really doesn't want to cede any ground to terrorist groups as we see the potential for a power vacuum to take place inside Syria with the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

And to that end, we actually saw the U.S. conduct dozens of airstrikes inside central Syria just today, according to a statement that I got from a U.S. official, which involved the use of U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter jets, as well as A-10 attack aircraft.

[14:24:46]

BERTRAND: A very heavy-handed attack on ISIS operatives and camps inside central Syria that is clearly meant to send a very, very direct message to any member of ISIS that might try to take advantage of this situation.

Now, a senior U.S. official did tell my colleague Jim Sciutto that the U.S. is particularly concerned about the possible resurgence of ISIS because that rebel group that has made all of these advances across the country and really taking back the country in recent days does have strong ties to ISIS, the U.S. believes.

The leader of that movement HTS, he has pushed back on that. He has said that he does not have those links to the more extreme jihadist elements of the Islamist movement.

And so right now, what they are doing is they're projecting this image of more moderation, trying to convince the U.S. and its allies, and really people around the world that they are not going to be a brutal terrorist organization, even though the U.S. has designated them as such.

But still, for now, the U.S. is intent on maintaining its presence inside Syria as a bulwark against the possible resurgence of not only ISIS, but also of al Qaeda inside the country.

Of course, what remains to be seen is whether force protection can be maintained. Whether the U.S. can guarantee the security of its troops there so far, it is not clear whether or not the U.S. has gotten a commitment from this rebel group, and from these various rebel groups inside Syria that they will, in fact protect U.S. forces there, or that they will not openly attack them.

Interestingly, these rebel groups they have apparently provided the Russians with that assurance. Russia has a number of strategic military bases as well as ports inside Syria, and the rebels have said that they are not going to attack those.

Will they make that same kind of commitment to the U.S.? That really remains to be seen. But for now, all indications are they're staying put, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Natasha Bertrand, thank you for all of that important information.

Ahead, an urgent move by the Israeli military now that Assad is out. We're live in Tel Aviv with more breaking news next.

[14:26:53]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:17] BLITZER: Israel is responding to the truly stunning events unfolding in Syria right now by sending additional forces to an area near the Syrian border. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to take control of that buffer zone that separates the Golan Heights from the rest of Syria.

Netanyahu said he took the decision as a safety measure. It's the first time Israeli troops have been stationed in that buffer zone since the 1974 agreement establishing the line of control between Israel and Syria.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is joining us live from Tel Aviv, right now.

Jeremy, the Israelis are watching this, understandably so very, very closely. The impacts could be enormous on Israel.

What can you tell us about the movement of these -- these Israeli troops and these very dramatic developments in Syria?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, today Israeli troops began moving into that demilitarized buffer zone that has separated Israeli from Syrian forces for just over 50 years. This will position Israeli troops between these newly victorious rebel forces inside of Syria and communities living in the Israeli controlled Golan Heights. This buffer zone is Syrian held territory, but the Israeli prime minister said he ordered his troops to go into that zone after the Syrian forces on the other side of that buffer zone abandoned their positions.

Speaking from the Golan Heights, the Israeli prime minister also said that he sees the fall of the Assad regime as a great opportunity. But one that he warns is also fraught with significant dangers. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: This is a historic day for the Middle East, the collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus offers great opportunity, but also is fraught with significant dangers.

One of them is the collapse of the separation of forces agreement from 1974 between Israel and Syria. This agreement, held for 50 years. Last night, it collapsed. The Syrian army abandoned its positions. We gave the Israeli army the order to take over this positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And the Israeli military has also already released video of some of the action that's happening inside that buffer zone. You can see that Israeli military. Israeli vehicles, I should say their heavy machinery are beginning to build an additional land barrier along that border line effectively. And they are also ordering the Syrian residents who live inside that buffer zone to stay in their homes. Now, the Israeli prime minister also talked about the future of Syria,

the future of Syria-Israel relations. And he said that he hopes to extend a hand of peace to the Syrians on the other side of that border, but he made clear that he is prepared for all scenarios. What he did also try to do, Wolf, is to take credit in some ways for the events that have transpired inside of Syria calling the fall of the Assad regime the success of the rebels, a, quote direct result of Israel's actions against Iran and Hezbollah. Iran and Hezbollah, of course, have both propped up the Assad regime throughout the course of this 13-year civil war.

And there's no question that these rebel forces took advantage of a moment where Iran was distracted with its conflict with Israel, where Hezbollah was significantly weakened by Israeli military action over the course of the conflict between within this region over the course of the last year -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What are the Israelis saying, Jeremy, about the leadership of this rebel force, HTS, that's now taking over in Syria?

[14:35:10]

DIAMOND: Well, Israeli officials have made clear that they don't see any, you know, real allies on the other side of the border at this time. They are kind of in wait and see mode here to see how this plays out. Of course, we have heard the leader of HTS make some statements in the sense of more, you know moderating the views of the rebel forces, distancing himself from groups like ISIS, for example.

For Israel, ultimately, and this was clear in the statement from the Israeli prime minister, they are going to see if they can establish the same kind of, you know agreements that they had with the Assad regime. It is not a peace, but it was at least something stable that Israel could manage. And understand what they are also going to look to see is whether or not Iran is still going to be able to move its weapons through Syria to Hezbollah inside of Lebanon presumably, that route has now been cut off by these rebel forces, who are, of course, opposed to Iran.

Israel had been hoping in recent weeks actually, that Assad's regime could perhaps help stem the flow of those weapons as well. Clearly, that is not going to happen. And so now the question is, will these new leaders of Syria prevent the flow of those weapons to Hezbollah? That will be the thing that Israel is most interested in seeing in addition, of course, to the safety of the Golan Heights.

BLITZER: And very quickly, Jeremy, before I let you go. Over the past several days, as you know, the Israeli air force has launched several strikes against various targets inside Syria. Talk a little bit about that.

DIAMOND: Yeah. That's right. And really, over the course of the last year, we have really seen stepped up Israeli strikes inside of Syria. Some of those have actually been confirmed by the Israeli military. Many others have not. Even today, we have seen reports of strikes inside of Syria that have

been attributed to the Israelis. The Israelis have not commented or confirmed whether or not those were their forces carrying out those actions. We know that in part, those are against the movement of those weapons. I was talking about from Iran to Hezbollah against Hezbollah forces that have been positioned in Syria and also against Iranian facilities inside of Syria as well.

And it certainly seems like now, perhaps, is a moment where Israel would want to go down that target list to the extent that they can until a new Syrian government is formally established -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us. We'll stay in close touch with you. Lot's at stake, obviously, for Israel and all of this, as we all know.

We'll have much more ahead on all of our breaking news. Our special coverage will continue right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:30]

BLITZER: We're continuing to follow the breaking news in Syria right now. That's where the long rule of the Syrian President Bashar al- Assad is now over after rebels swept into the capital of Damascus declaring that city liberated. An official source in Russia tells CNN Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow and have been granted asylum.

Joining us now to discuss what's going on, Congressman John Garamendi, he's a Democrat from California, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

As you heard in his remarks, President Biden just outlined some of the key U.S. priorities in Syria right now, including protecting U.S. troops there. I think there are about 900 U.S. troops still based in Syria and preventing any resurgence of ISIS.

How does the U.S. accomplish that?

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Well, first of all, we've got to recognize that Syria is right smack in the middle of the most important countries in that area. Certainly, Israel, We just heard about their military preparations. You've got Lebanon to the West. You have Turkey and you got Iraq and Jordan. All of those countries have a key, key interest, as does the United States in what's going to happen here.

It seems to me that the most important thing here at the moment is for the United States, working with our allies in the area to fill the political international vacuum that has been created as a result of Assad, Russia and Iran pulling out of the Syrian area.

We have an opportunity here, and we ought to seize that opportunity with regard to our troops. They've been well protected in the past. I think they will continue to be there will there may or may not be attacks in that area that have or have nothing to do with the new government that is about to be established in Damascus.

BLITZER: The president, President Biden, he also warned that the rebel group HTS, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as its called, is watching that the U.S. -- is watching this group not just monitoring its words, but their actions. A U.S. official tells CNN significant portions of the group still have direct links to ISIS.

What are you watching for? To understand better how this rebel group will rule?

GARAMENDI: I think that's going to depend upon what the neighboring countries do. If the rebel group has no one else to turn to, they will go back to ISIS using that as a way of rallying the population.

That doesn't have to happen. If the United States, together with Jordan and Turkey specifically reach out to the new government that is about to be established in Damascus and begins to work with that government regardless of their past.

[14:45:13]

Keep in mind, there was 2016 that this organization broke with al Qaeda. So it's been, what, eight years since they were part of al- Qaeda. And that was a very troubled time in 2016. And a lot of groups were engaged. They called themselves ISIS or al Qaeda.

But right now we have an opportunity. We have an opportunity to work with what will be a new government. But if they're isolated and if they are forced into a corner, they will turn to the Islamic rhetoric of ISIS and al Qaeda. It doesn't have to happen, but it could.

BLITZER: You know, I thought it was interesting, Congressman, that both President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu today both credited Israel's military actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran for that matter, for paving the way for Bashar al Assad to fall.

How do you see these extraordinary events reshaping potentially the balance of power in the Middle East?

GARAMENDI: You used the correct word reshaping and in that reshaping, there are opportunities. And there are also extraordinary risks. Clearly, Israel's attacks into Lebanon and also into Syria, taking on Hezbollah as well as Russia's inability to support the Assad regime because they are totally occupied in Ukraine. Those are factors that have clearly led to the rebel group being able to move quickly and successfully, and to establish themselves in Damascus.

The question going forward is how do we now deal with what is going to be a new government in Damascus in Syria? It's an extremely important that we look at this in a very holistic way. There's a lot of history that this group has it is, as I said a moment ago some eight years old. Are they still associated with al Qaeda, maybe yes, maybe no. But we will not know if we do not set immediately to establish a working communication with this new regime, and to find out what is going to be necessary to create some sort of stability in the area.

As I said earlier, you got Turkey to the north, Lebanon to the west, Jordan and Israel, all of them keenly interested in what this new government will be doing. And Iran would love to have an open door back into the area with the new government. We can't let that happen.

And so I would suggest its time for us to send a very senior diplomat to the new government and to begin a communication process and simultaneously work with the surrounding countries to develop a plan to understand where the new government wants to go what it needs to get there, and if that path is one that is sensible to the interests of the United States, as well as the surrounding countries.

BLITZER: And we heard President Biden say, what's important is not so much what this these rebel leaders say, but what they do actions, he says, speak louder than words.

We'll see what happens on that front.

Congressman John Garamendi of California, as usual, thank you very much for joining us.

GARAMENDI: Always a pleasure, Wolf.

BLITZER: And just ahead, is this a new era for the people of Syria? Were going to take a closer look at how the toppling of the Bashar al- Assad regime could fundamentally reshape the region. That's coming up right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: More now on the breaking news out of Syria.

Rebel fighters liberating the capital of Damascus and abruptly ending the long, brutal rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joins us now.

Nick, let's talk about the next days and weeks ahead in Syria, because based on all the jubilation that we're seeing in the streets, Syrians seem to think that anything will be better than what they've just endured under Assad, but what is likely to happen next?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Look, I think its very fair for Syrians right now to feel that anything could be better than what they've been through even though I think the last 5 to 7 years saw sort of a stalemate or an acceptance of the brutality of the Assad regime, but that had come after 5 to 7 years of horrific civil war that used chemical weapons against children, that saw a policy of starve and surrender against rebel districts where bombardment in civilian areas was routine. I remember seeing the bodies of nine children brought out of one collapsed building after an airstrike.

But what comes next is, of course, key because we have this extraordinary few days, I think, of jubilance of an outpouring of relief, of grief, about what has passed in this sort of horrific multiple decades of the Assad family ruling over Syria.

But the key challenges are pretty acute. The first one, I think, is for the new group, the rebel opposition that have swept to power so far predominantly led by HTS, which is previously affiliated with al Qaeda.

Although they strongly deny those links right now to make good on the promise of inclusion across all the different religions and ethnicities in Syria, to find a way of bridging what Assad and the civil war made so much more acute, so that the minority Alawite Shia that were behind Assad, that Assad ruled over and use to his advantage will not necessarily feel excluded.

[14:55:12]

That the Sunnis, who are the majority that were so ridiculously horrifically persecuted by Assad and feel that their power now isn't something that, results in other minorities being left in the shade.

So an exceptionally tough challenge there. And then, of course, the larger question of the Kurds in the Northeast of the country who did the bulk of the fighting for the United States against ISIS, that still receives significant ISIS support, that are considered most of them terrorists by Turkey, who are a significant backer of the rebel forces that are currently sweeping to power inside Syria. Yeah, it's complicated. I'm not going to try and hide that.

And that's all these complexities have to be navigated by a governing force that has been very good militarily over the past week, but still has to prove themselves in terms of a kind of a government for all the people that can be both democratic and also execute quickly.

CAMEROTA: And, Nick, you have a great piece on CNN.com right now that helps break down and explain a lot of that as well. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very much.

Much more ahead on breaking news out of Syria right after this very quick break.

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