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Online shoppers bombarded with scam shipping notifications this holiday seasonJackson scores 23, Purdue Fort Wayne beats Robert Morris 82-77Nuggets may land Jazz's gifted $28.4 million scorer by parting with Russell Westbrook | Sporting News
Central-Phenix City (AL) vs. Hoover (AL) LIVE STREAM (11/22/24) | How to watch Alabama high school football playoff game onlineThe AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) — Khaden Bennett’s 23 points helped Quinnipiac defeat Sacred Heart 83-73 on Sunday. Bennett added five rebounds for the Bobcats (5-5, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Amarri Tice added 19 points while shooting 6 for 16 (2 for 11 from 3-point range) and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line while they also had five rebounds and eight steals. Paul Otieno shot 5 of 9 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points, while adding three blocks. Amiri Stewart led the Pioneers (4-6, 1-1) in scoring, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Anquan Hill added 15 points for Sacred Heart. Bryce Johnson also had 11 points. Quinnipiac plays Tuesday against Holy Cross at home, and Sacred Heart hosts Albany (NY) on Wednesday. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .None
Trump is named Time's Person of the Year and rings the New York Stock Exchange's opening bell NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange after being recognized by Time magazine as its person of the year. The honors Thursday for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of Trump’s remarkable comeback from an ostracized former president who refused to accept his election loss four years ago to a president-elect who won the White House decisively in November. At the stock exchange, Trump was accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany and Vice President-elect JD Vance. Trump grinned as people chanted “USA” before he opened the trading day and raised his fist. YouTube TV is hiking its monthly price, again. Here's what to know NEW YORK (AP) — Are you a YouTube TV subscriber? Your monthly bills are about to get more expensive again. YouTube has announced that it’s upping the price of its streaming service’s base plan by $10 — citing rising content costs and other investments. The new $82.99 per month price tag will go into effect starting Jan. 13 for existing subscribers, and immediately for new customers who sign up going forward. YouTube TV has rolled out a series of price hikes over the years. When launched back in 2017, the going price of its streaming package was $35 a month. By 2019, that fee rose to $50 — and has climbed higher and higher since. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre's brotherhood is still strong after 30 years with new album 'Missionary' LOS ANGELES (AP) — When it comes to music, there’s one person in particular Snoop Dogg trusts to steer the ship without question: hit-making producer Dr. Dre. Their bond, built over 30 years of brotherhood, began when Dr. Dre shaped Snoop’s game-changing debut, “Doggystyle,” a cornerstone of hip-hop history. From young dreamers chasing stardom to legends cementing their legacies, the duo has always moved in sync. Now, the dynamic pair reunites for Snoop’s “Missionary,” his milestone 20th studio album, which releases Friday. The 15-track project features several big-name guest appearances including Eminem, 50 Cent, Sting, Method Man, Jelly Roll, Tom Petty, Jhené Aiko and Method Man. Country star Morgan Wallen sentenced in chair-throwing case NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country music star Morgan Wallen has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment. He had been charged for throwing a chair from the rooftop of a six-story bar in Nashville and nearly hitting two police officers with it. Wallen appeared in court alongside his attorney on Thursday. He was sentenced to spend seven days in a DUI education center and will be under supervised probation for two years. According to the arrest affidavit, Wallen was accused of throwing a chair off the roof of Chief’s bar on April 7. The chair landed about a yard from the officers. Witnesses told police they saw Wallen pick up a chair, throw it off the roof and laugh about it. Indian teen Gukesh Dommaraju becomes the youngest chess world champion after beating Chinese rival NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest chess world champion after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in Thursday's game which was played in Singapore. He has surpassed the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov who won the title at the age of 22. Dommaraju is now also the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year. 'Vanderpump Rules' star James Kennedy arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — Police say “Vanderpump Rules” star James Kennedy has been arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence. Police in Burbank, California, say officers investigated reports of an argument between a man and a woman at a residence late Tuesday night and arrested the 32-year-old Kennedy. He was released from jail after posting bail. A representative of Kennedy did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The Burbank city attorney will decide whether to file charges. Kennedy is a DJ and reality TV star who has appeared for 10 seasons on “Vanderpump Rules” — the Bravo series about the lives of employees at a set of swank restaurants. The wife of a Wisconsin kayaker who faked his own death moves to end their marriage MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The wife of a Wisconsin kayaker who faked his own drowning so he could abscond to Europe has filed a court action to end the couple's marriage. Online court records indicate Emily Borgwardt filed a petition in Dodge County Circuit Court on Thursday seeking to annul her marriage to Ryan Borgwardt. A hearing has been set for April. According to court documents, Ryan Borgwardt staged his own drowning by leaving his overturned kayak floating on Green Lake. He flew to Eastern Europe, where he spent several days in a hotel with a woman before taking up residence in the country of Georgia. He is charged with misdemeanor obstruction in Green Lake County. San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A block in downtown San Francisco has been renamed for acclaimed photojournalist Joe Rosenthal, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic photo of U.S. Marines raising the flag on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during WWII. The longtime staff photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle, who died in 2006 at age 94, is also remembered for the 35 years he spent documenting the city's famous and not so famous for the daily newspaper. He photographed a young Willie Mays getting his hat fitted as a San Francisco Giant in 1957. He also photographed joyous children making a mad dash for freedom on the last day of school in 1965. Nearly half of US teens are online 'constantly,' Pew report finds Nearly half of American teenagers say they are online “constantly,” despite concerns about the effects of social media and smartphones on their mental health. That's according to a new report published Thursday by the Pew Research Center. As in past years, YouTube was the single most popular platform teenagers used — 90% said they watched videos on the site, down slightly from 95% in 2022. There was a slight downward trend in several popular apps teens used. For instance, 63% of teens said they used TikTok, down from 67% and Snapchat slipped to 55% from 59%. Wander Franco's sex abuse trial has been postponed 5 months PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — The trial against Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking, has been postponed until June 2, 2025. Dominican judge Yacaira Veras postponed the hearing Thursday at the request of prosecutors because of the absence of several key witnesses in the case. Franco’s lawyers asked the court to reconsider the postponement, arguing Franco must report to spring training in mid-February. The judge replied that Franco is obligated to continue with the trial schedule and his conditional release from detainment.This past September, I reached my 42nd anniversary as a full-time sports writer at The Morning Call. I moved into that role in 1982, but I began my Morning Call career even earlier. In 1979, fresh out of high school and attending Penn State’s Allentown campus in Fogelsville, I started as a part-time agate clerk. That meant I answered phone calls and typed up everything from the Upper & Lower Macungie Knee-Hi League baseball and softball games to the local trapshooting results. There was an occasional byline starting with Allentown Central Catholic’s Sheila O’Donnell winning the first of her four District 11 tennis singles titles at the Vantage Point Racquet Club, but I was mostly at a typewriter answering phones at 6th and Linden streets in Allentown. Today, Vantage Point is a St. Luke’s pickleball center and the 6th and Linden office I entered in 1979 is now home to the Community Services for Children and the newsroom where I spent 37 years from 1984 to 2020 is a plot of ground targeted for a big apartment complex. Things change and no business has changed more than the newspaper business over the last 45 years. But one thing that has stayed the same is the interactions with people. I’ve averaged about 500 stories per year have done about 21,000 stories. And that means there have been 21,000 interactions with various people over the years. Ask me who won a a basketball championship in 1988 or a football title in 1991, I’d have to look it up. Ask me what the score was from the District 11 6A title game just last mont and I’d have to look it up. The kids, coaches, athletic directors, trainers and sometimes even the fans involved in the game, that’s what you remember. The more years that go by, and the more relationships that are created, the more it hurts when you lose people you came to know. And, in 2024, we lost more than our share in the Lehigh Valley sports world. Whether they were folks in their 90s such as Palmerton and Temple basketball legend Bill Mlkvy or Blue Mountain League baseball Hall of Famer Earl Dreisbach or they left us tragically in a blink of an eye like Stroudsburg athletic director Sean Richmond, Northwestern Lehigh football player Tucker Wessner or former Nazareth basketball player and multi-sport coach Ryan Peck, the losses all sting the same and leave a hole in our collective hearts. While we think about those who left us over the past 12 months we never forget those who touched our lives over the years, especially those who left us much too soon like Jeff Dailey, Justin Sheftel, Krysta Hankee, Mia Due and others. So, as we gather tonight on Christmas Eve and over the next few days to celebrate with our loved ones, take a moment to remember those families who no longer have their loved ones around them this holiday season. With an assist from and a special thank you to former Easton Express-Times sports writer Joe DeVivo, here’s a list of many of those sports personalities who died in 2024. Please keep them and their families in your prayers: Jerry Mahoney, 81, Jan. 1: The Hokendauqua resident served 50 years as president of Lehigh Valley Girls Softball League. Victoria Calantoni, 81, Jan. 4: Thoroughbred race horse owner from Bethlehem Township whose career achievement came when she paid $7,000 at auction for Sir Beaufort and he went on to win the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap in California. Russell “Skip” Fegely, 88, Jan. 6: A 1957 Moravian grad was one of school’s 10 1,000-point scorers in basketball and member of school’s Hall of Fame. Ross Moore, 73, Jan. 21: The 1969 Dieruff grad was one of the school’s all-time best athletes. He led the Huskies to three straight East Penn League and District 11 basketball titles and is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,269 points. He was also a first-team all-state and first-team All-American in football and was recruited by Woody Hayes to play at Ohio State. Mike Vincovitch, 87, Jan. 31: Nazareth resident was a well-known PIAA official in basketball, softball, field hockey and track. David St. John, Feb. 2: Assistant softball coach at Allen and Parkland. Bruce Krasley, 73, Feb. 7: Head football coach at Jim Thorpe 1975-83, later served as principal at Palmerton and Catasauqua. Bill Reese, 77, Feb. 19: Named best all-around athlete as a senior at East Stroudsburg High in 1964 and member of the school’s Hall of Fame. Head baseball coach at Stroudsburg 1975-96, JV basketball coach at East Stroudsburg South 2001-2003. Mark Benetsky, 75, Feb. 19: Longtime assistant baseball coach at Liberty and a member of the National Football Foundation Lehigh Valley Chapter. Nick “Gooch” Coombe, 64, Feb. 15: A Whitehall grad who pitched a no-hitter in a Lehigh Valley Legion game in June 1977. Betty Brader, 79, Feb. 20: The secretary in Dieruff athletic office for 25 years. Dave Druckenmiller, 63, Feb. 25: College football scout who worked for PA Football News and Lehigh Valley Football Network. James Oplinger, 87, Feb. 19: A 1954 Northampton grad pitched three seasons in the minors leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals. Member of Blue Mountain League, ESU, Northampton High, and Lehigh Valley Halls of Fame. Won three Lehigh Valley League titles and his teams went 82-19 in football at Northampton. H. Eugene Harrison, 91, Feb. 26: A second-team all-state quarterback on Phillipsburg’s undefeated New Jersey state title football team in 1949 and a four-year QB at Lafayette. He served as golf coach at Notre Dame-Green Pond for seven years. Ed Ott, 72, March 3: Catcher on 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series champions and manager of the independent league Allentown Ambassadors. Sonja Horbowyj Kustafic 62, March 5: A standout basketball and volleyball player who was Dieruff’s female Athlete of Year as a senior in 1979 and went on to play at Seton Hall. William Poretta, 89, March 13: Member of Lehigh Valley Sports Hall of Fame and past president of Lehigh Valley chapter of National Football Foundation. Brian Dominic, 71, March 17: 1969 MVP for Phillipsburg in Thanksgiving Day football game vs. Easton. 1970 scholar athlete and second team New Jersey Group 4 All-State selection. Earl Dreisbach, 90, March 20: Fountain Hill native played minor league baseball in St. Louis Cardinals system 1953-56. Played and managed championship Bethlehem Cardinals in the Blue Mountain League from 1959-79. Bob Zirinsky, 78, March 23: A three-sport athlete at Catasauqua who went on to play football and baseball at Lafayette. Coached Quakertown football for more than 15 years. Dan Dolphin, 71, April 6: Coached Allentown Central Catholic lacrosse team for 14 seasons, highlighted by a state title in 2021. Tony Koury, 77, April 10: The Notre Dame-Green Pond athletic director for 43 years, 1969-2012. Thomas “Turkey” Weaver, 88, April 12: A lineman on Nazareth football teams that went undefeated from 1949-52. Member of the school’s athletic Hall of Fame and the founder of Nazareth Clippers Athletic Association. Tony Zonca, 84, April 15: The Lansford native was best known as a sports writer, columnist and editor at Reading Eagle from 1965-2002. Sean Richmond, 38, May 11: A 2004 Easton grad went 109-26 with two Northeast Regional wrestling titles. Head wrestling coach at Stroudsburg for eight seasons and the school’s athletic director at time of death. Chuck Madson, 75, May 11: A District 11 Hall of Fame wrestler and football player at Wilson who coached baseball, football and wrestling for Palmer Township Athletic Association and served as assistant wrestling coach at Nazareth. Stephen Banko, 90, May 15: A Palmerton grad who raced cars at Mahoning Valley, Nazareth and Dorney Park speedways and rolled several 300 games as a bowler. Alex DeLucia, 87, May 16: A 1955 ACCHS grad and Wall of Fame honoree set an East Penn League, Rockne Hall and school record by scoring 46 points in a basketball game. Went on to star in basketball, baseball and football at Penn. Preston Moritz, 84, June 1: Catasauqua’s Athlete of Year in 1957, he coached youth football for East Lawn Clippers for more than 25 years. Became president of Lehigh Valley Football All-Star Classic for more than a decade. Bobby Neff, 73, June 16: An ACCHS basketball player who scored 1,000 points and was named East Penn League MVP in 1969. Andy Kistler, 61, June 18: The golf pro at Brookside Country Club, Allentown Municipal and Willowbrook Golf Club. Charlie Williams, 94, June 19: Longtime athletic director at Panther Valley and president of the Eastern Conference. Inducted into the Carbon County Sports Hall of Fame. Dave Paffenroth, 63, June 23: A standout in football and track at Stroudsburg, where he was named Lehigh Valley Athlete of the Year and a Big 33 selection. He was a also a member of Penn State’s first national championship football team in 1982. Gary Martell, 73, June 30: A standout football player at Moravian, he stayed at the school for nearly 50 years and was also an assistant coach baseball at Bethlehem Catholic and executive director at the Bethlehem Boys and Girls Club. Dr. Bob Brennan 89, July 5: He was captain of Moravian’s baseball team and became a top-notch amateur golfer who registered six career holes-in-one and was Senior Men’s champ at Saucon Valley Country Club. Willy Edwards, 46, July 9: A two-way lineman and popular driving force on Central Catholic’s 1993 PIAA football title team. Donald “DeG” DeGerolamo, 88, July 10: The 1955 Phillipsburg grad earned all-state honors in football and was one of the first 10 inducted into the Phillipsburg-Easton Hall of Fame. Anthony Casciano, 68, July 10: The baseball coach at Pius X in Roseto for 21 years, his teams went 276-135-1 and won multiple District 11 titles. He was inducted into the Northampton County American Legion League Hall of Fame. He was also the football defensive coordinator at Notre Dame-Green Pond for his nephew, Phil Stambaugh. Dick Hunt, 85, July 15: A 1957 Nazareth grad excelled in football, basketball and baseball. He was a 2023 inductee into the school’s Hall of Fame. Tucker Wessner, 16, July 16: Died prior to the start of his junior year at Northwestern after playing JV and varsity football as a sophomore. The Tigers dedicated their undefeated state championship season to their fallen teammate. Bob Heinsohn, 83, July 28: The Palisades girls basketball coach for 17 years, he led the Pirates to 209 wins and three league and one district championship. Janice Stem, 86, July 29: The wife of legendary football coach Bob Stem for 60 years. She was the cheerleading coach for 19 years at Bethlehem Catholic, where she was inducted into the school’s Wall of Fame, and volunteered for the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic for many years. Chuck Givler, 85, Aug. 5: Longtime auto racing writer at Express-Times and a PIAA basketball official. Coached boys and girls basketball and softball at Belvidere High School. Ken Shiffert, 76, Aug. 10: The Nazareth boys basketball coach from 1993-97 and brother of longtime Easton football coach Steve Shiffert. Kevin Kane, 53, Aug. 12: New Jersey state champion wrestler and star football player at Phillipsburg. He was also an assistant football coach for Stateliners under Stem. Ryan Peck, 34, Aug. 15: The 2008 Nazareth grad starred in soccer and basketball and later coached middle school basketball at Pen Argyl and Nazareth. Afa Anoai Sr., 81, Aug. 16: A WWE Hall of Fame wrestler who was part of Wild Samoans tag team with brother Sika. He also ran a training center for pro wrestlers in Allentown and Hazleton. John Larry Endy, 80, Aug. 17: A co-captain of 1964 and 1965 East Stroudsburg University soccer teams that are part of the school’s Hall of Fame, he went on to officiate soccer and and softball official for 58 years. He was inducted into three Halls of Fame. Dick Fahringer, 85, Aug. 21: A1957 Whitehall grad who excelled in track and field and worked as a PIAA football official for 20 years. Tom Donchez, 72, Aug. 28: The Liberty High football star was an all-state and Big 33 selection as a senior in 1969. He went on to play at Penn State and was a fullback on the undefeated 1973 team. Warren “Nonny” Landis, 80, Sept. 10: The Emmaus High grad was East Stroudsburg University’s basketball MVP in 1964. He was the golf coach at Emmaus for 27 years with his teams winning multiple league titles. Sherwood Gum, 89, Sept. 13: A football co-captain of Pen Argyl’s 1951 Lehigh-Northampton League championship team who was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. Kim Davis, 72, Sept. 18: The 1970 Northampton grad was the school’s longtime tennis coach and public address announcer for Konkrete Kids and Lehigh Valley Steelhawks indoor football team. Roger Pence, 64, Sept. 18: Former member of sports staff at Morning Call and a co-host of Calling All Sports radio show. Dennis Nemes, 76, Sept. 23: The principal at Northwestern Lehigh and Allentown Central Catholic for a total of 33 years, he also served on the District 11 committee for 30 years and PIAA board for 29 years. John Schoenberger Jr., 74, Sept. 25: Longtime coach of Nazareth Clippers football, baseball and softball programs. Mike Kloiber, 63, Oct. 2: A Parkland baseball star who earned a scholarship to play at North Carolina State. Also a cleanup hitter for the 1980 South Parkland Lehigh Valley Legion champions. Johnny Williams, 77, Oct. 12: A 1965 Allen grad played football at Muhlenberg and served as soccer commissioner for the South Parkland Youth Association. William “Pic” Pichler, 83, Oct. 15: The 1959 Liberty grad was a PIAA basketball official for 18 years, and coached Muhlenberg’s softball team for three seasons. Francis Bolez, 77, Nov. 10: A 1965 Central Catholic grad who was MVP in baseball and a member of the school’s 1964 PCIAA state championship basketball team and 1965 East Penn League championship basketball team. Also played on a championship baseball at Kutztown University later became a coach and athletic director at Brandywine Heights. Richard Frantz, 87, Nov. 16: The East Stroudsburg University graduate was an athletic trainer at Northern Lehigh. Andrew McGeehin III, 78, Nov. 25: A longtime area basketball, football and golf coach and sports personality who was perhaps best known for his storytelling at Jordan AC and Hogan’s Social Club, was also the brother of the Allentown Central Catholic football and basketball legend Jeff McGeehin. Bill Mlkvy, 93, Dec. 12: A legendary basketball player at Palmerton High and Temple University, who as an Owls junior in 1950-51 became a first-team All-American. He averaged 29.2 points per game and scored 73 points in a game against Wilkes, including 54 in a row. Jack Ortelli, 75, Dec. 18: A 1967 Easton grad coached football at Emmaus and Pius X in Roseto, where he was an assistant on the undefeated 1976 Royals team. ©2024 The Morning Call. Visit mcall.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
NoneDAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad fled Syria as Islamist-led rebels swept into Damascus Sunday, triggering celebrations across the country and beyond at the end of his oppressive rule. Russian news agencies late Sunday said Assad and his family were in Moscow. Crowds toured Assad’s luxurious home after the rebels declared he had fled, a spectacular end to five decades of brutal Baath party government. READ MORE: Syria rebels’ lightning offensive: 11 days to the fall of Damascus Syrian government falls in stunning end to 50-year rule of Assad family The government fell 11 days after the rebels began a surprise advance more than 13 years after Assad’s crackdown on anti-government protests ignited Syria’s civil war, which had become largely dormant until the rebel push. “This victory, my brothers, is historic for the region,” Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) that spearheaded the advance, said in an address at the landmark Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. US President Joe Biden said Assad should be “held accountable” but called the nation’s political upheaval a “historic opportunity” for Syrians to rebuild their country. “The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice,” Biden said from the White House. ‘Syria is ours’ Residents cheered in the streets as the rebel factions heralded the departure of “tyrant” Assad, saying: “We declare the city of Damascus free.” Celebratory gunfire sounded along with shouts of, “Syria is ours and not the Assad family’s”. AFP correspondents saw dozens of men, women and children wandering through Assad’s modern, spacious home whose rooms had been stripped bare. “I can’t believe I’m living this moment,” tearful Damascus resident Amer Batha told AFP by phone. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” he said. The rebel factions on Telegram proclaimed the end to “50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and displacement”. It is, they said, “the start of a new era for Syria.” The foreign ministry of Assad’s key backer, Russia, had announced earlier Sunday that Assad had resigned from the presidency and left Syria. The head of war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP: “Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left” the facility. Later Sunday, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies that he and his family had arrived in Moscow where they had been granted asylum “on humanitarian grounds”. ‘Historic opportunity’ Around the country, people toppled statues of Hafez al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s father and the founder of the repressive system of government he inherited. For the past 50 years in Syria, even the slightest suspicion of dissent could land one in prison or get one killed. During their advance, the rebels said they had freed prisoners, including on Sunday at the Sednaya facility, notorious for the darkest abuses of Assad’s era. UN war crimes investigators urged those taking charge in the country to ensure the “atrocities” committed under Assad’s rule are not repeated. Amnesty International called this a “historic opportunity” for those responsible for the abuses in Syria to face justice. The end of Assad’s rule came just hours after HTS said it had captured the strategic city of Homs. Homs was the third major city seized by the rebels, who began their advance on November 27, the same day a ceasefire took place in neighbouring Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. Hezbollah had supported Assad during the long civil war but has been severely weakened by Israeli strikes. The group’s forces “vacated their positions around Damascus”, a source close to the group said Sunday. HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda but has sought to soften its image in recent years. It remains listed as a terrorist organisation by Western governments. On Sunday afternoon the rebels announced a curfew in the capital until 5:00 am (0200 GMT) Monday. The commander of Syria’s US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of northeast Syria, hailed the fall of Assad’s “authoritarian regime” as “historic”. A military council affiliated with the SDF clashed Sunday with Turkish-backed Syrian fighters in Syria’s north, leaving 26 fighters from both sides dead, the Observatory said, as the Turkish-backed group launched an offensive on the Manbij area. ‘We’re going home’ The Observatory said Israel had struck government security buildings and weapons depots Sunday on the outskirts of Damascus, as well as in the eastern Deir Ezzor province. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the overthrow of Assad was a “historic day in the... Middle East” and the fall of a “central link in Iran’s axis of evil”. “This is a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, Assad’s main supporters,” he added. The UN envoy for Syria said the country was at “a watershed moment”. Turkey, which has historically backed the opposition, called for a “smooth transition”. Iran said it expected “friendly” ties with Syria to continue, even as its embassy in Damascus was vandalised. Since the start of the rebel offensive, at least 910 people, mostly combatants but also including 138 civilians, have been killed, the Observatory said. Syria’s war has killed more than 500,000 people, and forced half of the population to flee their homes. Millions fled abroad “I can barely remember Syria,” said Reda al-Khedr, who was only five years old when he and his mother escaped Syria’s Homs in 2014. “But now we’re going to go home to a liberated Syria,” he told AFP in Cairo. Liberated, but facing enormous challenges. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday the bloc would help rebuild a Syria that safeguards minorities after Assad’s fall.
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