The Latest Breaking News from Bashar alAssad

Statements come as Israel continues to step up strikes across Syria after ouster of Bashar al-Assad’s government.

UN refugee agency chief says returning refuges to Syria after fall of Bashar al-Assad should be ‘voluntary’ and ‘safe’.

US actively works with partners to prevent chemical weapons misuse in Syria. Communication with Russia maintained. Assad regime's fall seen as justice.

It comes as Britain says collapse of Assad is humiliation for Iran and Russia but doesn’t guarantee peace. Israel bombs chemical weapons facilities over fears of dangerous power vacuum

The US journalist is believed to be among 135,000 people detained or disappeared by Syrian government during war.

She was once fawned over for her good looks and sharp mind, but is now seen as an accomplice to her husband’s cruelty. Claudia Cockerell on the fall of Syria’s first lady

Some journalists underestimated the threat of the brutal president, while his first lady was glamorised in a Vogue feature, writes Zoe Williams

To gain an edge, this is what you need to know today.

The collapse of Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad's Syrian government has dealt a major blow to Russia's image of global strength and laid bare the limits of its military reach as its Ukraine offensive drags on.

Bashar al-Assad granted asylum in Russia after leaving Syria amidst uprising and rebel encirclement. Kremlin silent on Putin's involvement.

The Syrian opposition’s recent capture of the country’s largest city of Aleppo caught much of the international community by surprise. After the involvement of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah in the prolonged Syrian civil war, many observers assumed that Bashar al-Assad’s forces had won the conflict.