The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will convene on Monday for an emergency session following the announcement by Syrian rebels that they have overthrown President Bashar al-Assad and taken control of Damascus.
The meeting, requested by Russia, will be held behind closed doors, according to diplomatic sources cited by dpa.
Syrians were faced with a new political reality on Sunday after rebels seized the capital, Damascus, effectively ending Assad’s regime, which led the president to flee to Moscow.
The rebel coalition, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a surprise offensive in northwestern Syria in late November. They rapidly captured territory from pro-Assad forces as they moved toward Damascus.
Assad left the country, with Russian media reporting that he is now in Russia.
Syrian rebels announced that they had ended Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year authoritarian rule in their first address on state television after the lightning offensive that shocked the world.
