President Joe Biden said Sunday that the sudden collapse of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Mideast.

Biden spoke at the White House hours after after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country after more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by Assad and his family. Biden said the United States was unsure of Assad’s whereabouts, but was monitoring reports he was seeking refuge in Moscow.

The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East.

Biden credited action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria’s backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said “for the first time” that they could no longer defend Assad’s grip on power.

“Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East,” Biden said, after a meeting with his national security team at the White House.

After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashir Assad, his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office and flee the country. We’re not sure where he is but there’s word that he’s in Moscow. At long last, the Assad regime has fallen.

This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians. The fall of the regime is a fundamental lack of justice. 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.

Biden said the US would wor with its allies to help Syria in its next chapter in a post-Assad world. He also blasted Iran and Russia and credited support for Israel and Ukraine during his term for helping to end the conflict in Syria.

“You know, for years, the main backers of Assad have been around Hezbollah and Russia,” he said. “But over the last week, their support collapsed, all three of them, because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when I took office. And let’s remember why. After Hamas attacked Israel on October the 7th, 2023, when much of the world responded with horror. Iran and its proxies chose to launch a multi-front war against Israel. That was a historic mistake on Iran’s part. Today, Iran’s main territorial proxy, Hezbollah, is also on its back. And only 12 days ago, I spoke from the Rose Garden about the cease-fire deal in Lebanon, a deal that was only possible because Hezbollah has been badly degraded.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)