Russia said Wednesday it is closely monitoring the situation in Syria and is in contact with “those who are currently controlling the situation.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted Russia’s need to ensure the security of its diplomatic facilities and its military bases in Syria, where Russian troops were based for years supporting the Syrian military in the country’s civil war.
Peskov’s comments came days after Syrian rebels moved into Damascus and forced President Bashar al-Assad from power. Assad fled to Russia, where Russian officials said he was granted asylum.
Assad’s fall also dealt a blow to Iran’s interests in the region, cutting off a land delivery route for weapons to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon as well as territory in which Iranian militias could operate.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected the idea of weakened Iranian network in the region, which includes its support of Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, militias in Iraq and Houthi militants in Yemen.
Khamenei also said what happened in Syria was the result of a U.S.-Israeli plan, and that a “neighboring state” of Syria played a role in Assad’s ouster. He did not name the neighboring country, but Turkey, which borders Syria, was a main supporter of groups that opposed Assad.
As Syrians work to establish the future of their country, Pope Francis said Wednesday he hoped for a political solution that promotes “the stability and unity of the country.”
"I pray... that the Syrian people may live in peace and security in their beloved land and the different religions may walk together in friendship and mutual respect for the good of that nation afflicted by so many years of war,” the pope said.
A day after announcing he had been selected to lead an interim government, Mohammed al-Bashir called on Syrians who fled the country to return home.
In an interview with Italy’s Corriere della Sera, Bashir said bringing back millions of Syrian refugees was an early goal, and that their talents and experience “will allow the country to flourish.”
There are about 5 million Syrian refugees living in neighboring countries, according to the United Nations.
U.N. special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen cautioned at a Tuesday briefing against rushing to bring refugees home, describing the humanitarian situation in Syria as “disastrous” and the economy as “collapsed.”
_Some information for this report was provided by from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters._