As it happened- West Asia crisis: New Syrian PM says time for 'stability and calm'

New Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said on Tuesday that it was time for stability and calm. 

"Now it is time for these people to enjoy stability and calm," al-Bashir told Al Jazeera. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday warned the new regime in Syria not to follow in the footsteps of the previous Bashar al-Assad administration and allow Iran to re-establish itself in the country.

"If this regime allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria, or permits the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or if it attacks us -– we will respond forcefully, and we will exact a heavy price," Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a video statement from Tel Aviv.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged all countries to support an inclusive political process in Syria, saying that Washington would eventually recognise if it met such standards.

"The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria. All nations should pledge to support an inclusive and transparent process and refrain from external interference," Secretary of State Blinken said in a statement. 

If reports are to be believed, the rebel offensive in Syria has left Russian military bases there under threat.

The Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base are Russia's only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin's activities in Africa and the Middle East.

Russian state media report that the Syrian opposition has "guaranteed" the security of the facilities, but it is not clear if Moscow will maintain control of them.

The United Kingdom (UK) said on Tuesday that it was keeping a "very, very close eye" on the potential return of British jihadists from Syria.

The possibility of militants returning was "a matter of great concern," Border Security and Asylum Minister Angela Eagle said.

Rebel factions in Syria, who ousted Bashar al-Assad from power following their November 27 offensive, on Tuesday (Dec 10) named Mohammed al-Bashir as head of a transitional government.

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The trial against involves three separate cases in which prosecutors said that Netanyahu exchanged regulatory favours with media titans for favourable press coverage and advanced the personal interests of a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for lavish gifts.

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Officials in Qatar are in contact with the HTS that led the November 27 offensive in Syria. 

"The Qataris have established the first channel of communication with HTS. Communication with HTS and Qatari diplomats are expected to continue in the next 24 hours with Al Bashir," a Qatari official told the news agency AFP. 

The Israeli military has been warned over its airstrikes in Syria as it denied that it tanks were near Damascus.

UN special envoy to Syria cautioned Israel that its airstrikes and ground invasion need to stop, saying it is violating 1974 agreement.

The health ministry in the Gaza Strip said on Tuesday that the death toll in the Palestinian region due to the Israel-Hamas war has climbed to 44,786. The death toll includes 28 people killed in the last 24 hours. 

Iran said on Tuesday that it brought home 4,000 Iranian citizens from Syria following the ouster of its ally Bashar al-Assad as rebels took over Damascus.

"Over the past three days, 4,000 Iranian citizens were returned to Iran," a government spokesperson told reporters in Tehran. 

The Israeli military on Tuesday denied reports that its tanks reached Syria. Earlier, media reports said that tanks have reached Qatana, which is 10km (six miles) into Syrian territory, east of the demilitarised zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria.

The United Nations (UN) envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said on Tuesday that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other armed groups that have swept Syrian president Bashar al-Assad from power have sent "good messages" to Syrians. 

"The realities so far is that the HTS and also the other armed groups have been sending good messages to the Syrian people. They have been sending messages of unity, of inclusiveness," Pedersen told reporters in Geneva.