The President's Daily Brief - December 9th, 2024: Assad’s Regime Toppled & Global Reactions Begin

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: A historic day in the Middle East as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime falls to rebel forces, ending over 50 years of Assad-family rule. Governments worldwide react with a mix of hope and apprehension to this seismic shift. Ukrainian President Zelensky reveals the military death toll for Ukraine’s forces in the Russian invasion, as the U.S. prepares another billion-dollar aid package for the embattled nation. And in today’s Back of the Brief: the latest updates on the hunt for the man who killed United Healthcare’s CEO in cold blood in New York City last week. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Blackout Coffee: https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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for giving me the deal. Additional Terms, Conditions, and Restrictions, Here's a recipe for starting your day off right. Well, step one, get yourself an empty coffee mug. Step two, fill it with blackout coffee. That's it. Morning sorted. Blackout coffee is a terrific, family-owned American business, and they're all about producing premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code BDB, for 20% off your first-time purchase. It's Monday, 9 December. Welcome to the president's daily brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And coming to you this week

from where are we? Oh, the Middle East. Let's get briefed. A historic day in the Middle East, as the region comes to terms with the fall of one of the world's longest running family dictatorships, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been toppled by rebel forces. He fled the country shortly before the rebels took over Damascus. Later in the show, governments around the world react to the fall of the Assad regime with a mix of, well, let's call it, hope and apprehension. We'll break down the response so far. Plus, Ukrainian President Zelensky reveals the military death toll for Ukraine's forces in the Russian invasion as the U.S. prepares another billion-dollar aid package. And in today's back of the brief, we'll bring you the latest updates on the hunt for the man who

killed United Health Care's CEO in New York City this past week. But first, today's BDB spotlight. Five decades of Assad family rule came to a crashing halt over the weekend as rebel forces ousted Bashar al-Assad's regime and forced the despot to flee. His decades-long grip on power is over, bringing an end to the authoritarian dynasty. His father began half a century ago, and that was responsible for the death and torture over the decades of hundreds of thousands of Syrians. The collapse unfolded rapidly. On Saturday evening, reports emerged that rebel forces had entered the suburbs of Damascus, with claims that President Assad was even reaching out to them in hopes of negotiating an end to the conflict. Yeah, good luck with that.

By Sunday morning, it was all over. Rebel forces had seized control and publicly declared victory. The news was first broadcast on Syrian State television yesterday morning, with the nation's most prominent news anchor reading a news bulletin provided by the rebel leaders. It read in part, quote, to those who bet on us and to those who didn't, to those who thought one day that we were broken, we announced to you from the Syrian News Channel the victory of the great Syrian Revolution after 13 years of patience and sacrifice.

Now, the leader of the main rebel group, Abel Mohamed Al-Jalani, has also made his first statements since arriving in Damascus. In a speech delivered inside a mosque in the capital, he called the victory a new chapter in the history of the region. He added that Syria would no longer be a, quote, playground for Iranian ambition. spreading sectarianism and stirring corruption." Syria's foreign ministry has also released a statement, which read, quote, A new page in Syrian history as being written, consecrating a national oath and covenant

that will bring all Syrians together, end quote. The people who wrote that statement will likely find themselves out of a job very soon, and depending on how things go over the next days and weeks, well, that could be the best scenario that they could hope for. The collapse of Assad's regime was years in the making. After clinging to power through a brutal civil war, the beginning of 2011, in large part due to the backing of Iran and Russia, Assad faced growing dissent at home. Rebel groups fragmented for much of the conflict, recently coordinated a sweeping offensive, capturing key cities, such as Aleppo and Homa, before storming Damascus. Crucially, Assad's international allies, particularly Russia, seemed to pull back their support in recent

months, leaving his regime increasingly isolated. As opposed to 2015, when Russia and Iran provided significant military resources, personnel and support, in the last major beatdown of the rebels, this time around both Russia and Iran, well, they're in much different situations. Russia, of course, has been focused on its Ukraine invasion and could ill afford to shift military assets to Syria. Iran now finds its primary proxy, Hezbollah, severely degraded and in no position to provide fighters and resources to Syria as they have in the past. In the hour since the fall of Damascus, videos have emerged of Syrians across the country toppling statues of regime figures, including those of Hafez al-Assad, that's the previous president and father of Bashar al-Assad.

Meanwhile, Bashar al-Assad's whereabouts were initially unclear, with early speculation that his plane had crashed within Syria. However, Russian state news agencies later revealed that the ousted dictator is currently in Moscow. there's a surprise with his family, where he's been granted asylum. Now, granting asylum to a brutal dictator responsible for so much death and suffering over the years is entirely on-brand for Putin's regime. Reportedly, Moscow explained that they granted Assad asylum for, quote, humanitarian reasons. Well, that joke writes itself. As we've been reporting on the PDB, this marks a major embarrassment for Syria's two primary sponsors,

Iran and Russia, both of which appear to have reluctantly accepted the, fate and fall of their client. In a statement, Iran's foreign ministry reaffirmed its commitment to respecting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Well, that would be a first, insisting that the Syrian people alone must determine their country's future, free from what it described as, quote, destructive interference or external imposition, and quote, clearly, whoever wrote this in the Iranian foreign ministry is a frustrated comedy writer. The statement also emphasized that the Islamic Republic would, quote, spare no effort. in supporting efforts to establish security and stability in Syria.

Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry has been notably quiet, issuing a brief statement claiming that Assad had left office and departed Syria after issuing orders for a peaceful transfer of power, no doubt setting the stage for its own withdrawal from the country. Reportedly, the Russians have been in discussions with the rebels over the protection of their military bases and embassy. The rebels and population of Damascus took to the streets over the weekend and quickly ransacked Assad's residences along with the Iranian embassy. Reportedly, the rebels have called on the people to leave government buildings and institutions

alone. So, what's next for Syria? Well, only one thing is certain here. The country will be operating under a new flag. Across Syria and at embassies abroad, the green, white, and black stripes of the rebels have already begun replacing the red, white, and black of the Assad regime. Now, as we know from recent history in places such as Iraq and Libya, Replacing a despotic dictator can create its own problems.

The main rebel group, HTS, has its origins years ago with ISIS. The rebel leader, Al Jolani, started with ISIS, later moving to Syria to start up al-Qaeda's branched there. Since roughly 2017, he and his group have reportedly denounced al-Qaeda and have been essentially running their own government in the northern Syrian province of Idlib. Al-Jolani claims that they are now a nationalist movement, whether that's simply a facade or legitimate, well, we'll know that in relatively short order. There are numerous other rebel factions with their own interests, all looking to stake out their own territory that have been cobbled together during this offensive to take over. Whether HTS, the main group, is able to stitch the various groups into a cohesive, stable organization capable of providing leadership, well, that's anyone's guess at the

moment. And then, of course, there's the clown car stuffed with foreign players, Iran, Russia, Turkey and the U.S. all have interests. All have been providing support to the mixed bag of players over the years, and all are equally unsure what to expect next. And not to be an alarmist, but, well, there is the question of Assad's chemical weapons program and inventory. And not to mention, where there's chaos, there tends to be extremists looking to fill the void and take advantage. Iraq is a case study and how not to handle the aftermath of the toppling of a despot. In that case, immediate aftermath, much like the first days in Damascus, were filled with hope and euphoria, which gave way within months, unfortunately, sadly, to chaos and sictorian violence.

Now, a major contributor was the dissolution of the Iraqi army, police, and government institutions by the U.S. and allies, somehow believing that the removal of existing structure that had operated under Saddam Hussein would be replaced by something better. Instead, well, they created a void that was filled by years of despair. With Syria, keeping existing institutions intact while working on reforms to ensure a society that protects and respects all the groups and minorities and persons that make up the Syrian tapestry, well, that will be critical to future success. Oh, look at me, sounding all hopeful. Coming up next, reactions from around the world to the fall of Assad's regime. Plus, Ukraine's military death toll and the latest U.S. billion-dollar aid package.

I'll have those stories when we come back. Welcome back to the PDB. I want to turn now to the international response to the fall of the Assad regime, which can be described as a mix of hope and relief and apprehension. We'll start in the Middle East, where Saudi Arabia expressed, quote, satisfaction with the positive steps in Syria. The kingdom called for, quote, concerted efforts to preserve the unity of Syria and the cohesion of its people.

Over in Turkey, which had a large hand in supporting the rebels, the foreign minister said, quote, Today there is hope for the Syrian people. He went on to speak about the importance of stability, unity, and sovereignty in Syria, as well as the well-being of the Syrian people, noting that that would allow millions of Syrians to return home. And no doubt, the return of Syrian refugees

will be one of Turkey's top priorities in the coming days, considering that it hosts more than three million of them. Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu called it, quote, an historic day for the Middle East, describing Assad's collapse as both an opportunity. and a source of potential danger. On the ground, practical moves were already underway.

Nanyahu ordered the Israeli Defense Forces to take control of the buffer zone between Israel and Syria, that's a territory long demilitarized under a 1974 agreement. The IDF confirmed the deployment on Sunday, highlighting Israel's proactive stance as the regional landscape shifts. In Europe, cities like Paris, London, Stockholm, and Athens witnessed celebrations by Syrian expatriates, many of whom fled the brutal civil war over the past decade. Governments across the continent cautiously welcomed Assad's fall. The European Union's foreign policy chief declared, quote, the end of Assad's dictatorship is a long-awaited development.

Our focus now is ensuring regional stability and security, end quote. Germany's chancellor, Olaf Schultz, described the news as, quote, good, emphasizing the urgent need for law and order in Syria. France's foreign ministry echoed similar sentiments saying the Syrian people have suffered too much, and in Britain, Prime Minister Kier Starmor stressed the importance of protecting civilians and ensuring aid reaches the most vulnerable. In Washington, D.C., Daniel Shapiro, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, said, quote, no one should shed any tears over the end of the Assad regime.

He said the United States would maintain a presence in eastern Syria, quote, to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS, and said they will take all necessary measures. to defend its forces in the area. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump commented on the matter on Sunday. In an early morning post to Truth Social, Trump wrote in part, quote, Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin,

was not interested in protecting him any longer. Now, I'm not sure why he had to say Russia three different times, but there you go. Trump added, there was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, end quote. And speaking of Ukraine, President Zelensky revealed on Sunday that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed while 370,000 have been wounded since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The announcement marks Keeps first public disclosure of casualty figures in the nearly

three-year conflict. Zelenskyy shared the figures in a telegram post, countering a claim from President-elect Donald Trump, who wrote on truth social that Ukraine had, quote, ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers since the war's inception. Now, this shift toward transparency, if Zelensky's numbers are accurate, follows nearly three years of withholding such data, citing concerns about providing intelligence to Moscow. Back at February, Zelensky reported 31,000 troops killed without addressing the number of injuries. The Ukrainian president clarified that the 370,000 wounded included minor and repeated injuries, noting that about 50% of injured soldiers have returned to African.

active duty and also added the release of nearly 3,800 soldiers from Russian captivity. Now, these numbers stand in stark contrast to Ukrainian claims of Russian losses, which Zelensky states exceed 750,000, including 198,000 dead and over 550,000 wounded. He added it since September, Russia has been losing five to six troops for every Ukrainian soldier killed, despite making gains in Ukraine's east. Now, Zelensky's disclosure comes as the U.S. announced a new $1 billion security aid package for Ukraine, representing nearly half of the remaining funds in the Pentagon's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. It's important to note that unlike previous aid packages sourced from U.S. military stocks,

this funding will purchase new equipment, including munitions, drones, and tools for weapons repair. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the aid at the Reagan National Defense Forum over the weekend, calling the U.S. and its allies the, quote, arsenal of Ukrainian democracy. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump on Sunday doubled down on his push for an immediate ceasefire, urging Russian President Putin to end the bloodshed and start negotiations. Trump's comments followed a weekend meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelensky, which Trump described as, quote, constructive. While Trump has previously advocated for his ceasefire, Sunday's proposal appeared more urgent,

and both Kiev and Moscow responded swiftly. Kremlin's spokesman Dmitri Peskov reiterated Russia's openness to talks, but pointed to a 2022 decree from Zelensky, ruling out negotiations if Putin remains in power. Zelensky, for his part, acknowledged Trump's proposal in a telegram post, but reiterated the need for effective guarantees to prevent Russia from reigniting the conflict, stating, quote, Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else. Russia brought war to our land, end quote. All right, coming up next in the back of the brief, the latest on the manhunt for the gunman who killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. I'll be right back.

In today's back of the brief, the NYPD and federal authorities are intensifying their search for the suspect in the shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. While police have made progress, the shooter remains at large, leaving law enforcement racing to piece together a trail, spanning multiple states. According to ABC News sources, investigators made a... key discovery on Friday, recovering a backpack in Central Park believed to belong to the suspect. Inside with just two items, a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, and oddly, monopoly money. Authorities also deployed divers to a nearby pond in search of the distinctive 9mm pistol

used in this shooting, though as of now it's unclear if anything was recovered. On Saturday, the NYPD released new surveillance images, showing the suspect in a cab, but his face is obscured by a medical mask. Investigators believe they've obtained DNA from the crime scene. Results from the NYC Chief Medical Examiner could take several days. Now, the suspect's movements are gradually coming into focus. Investigators track the suspect's movements to the Port Authority bus terminal, where he arrived on 24 November via a Greyhound bus from Atlanta.

It remains unclear if the suspect boarded there or in a city along the route to New York. Surveillance footage suggests he spent 10 days in New York City before the shooting, staying at a Manhattan hostel under a fake ID and paying in cash to avoid detection. During this stint, security cameras captured a brief moment where the suspect lowered his mask, offering investigators a look at his face. However, the NYPD has yet to identify him using facial recognition technology. After this shooting, the suspect fled into Central Park and then took a cab to the George Washington Bridge bus station.

From there, he boarded a bus that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington. NYPD officers have since traveled to Atlanta to follow leads with the assistance of local police and FBI agents, while hundreds of detectives in New York continue to pour over surveillance footage, vet public tips, and interview the suspect's former hostile roommates. While the nationwide manhunt continues, law enforcement has yet to identify the suspect by name, the NYPD remains focused on piecing together clues from the evidence collected, aiming to close in on the individual behind the targeted attack of Thompson, CEO of the country's largest health care insurer.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Monday, 9 December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And I hope that you had a chance to tune into our extended weekend show this weekend. That's the PDB Situation Report. Our guests included Brian Carter with the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute and Eric O'Neill, former FBI counterterrorism operative. Now, we covered a lot of ground, the situation in Syria, Iranian cyber attacks, and more.

You can catch the situation report every Friday night at 10 p.m. on the first TV, as well as on our YouTube channel. Check that out. It's at President's Daily Brief, and, of course, wherever you get your podcast stuff, including Spotify and Apple. I'm Mike Baker.

I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply.