Syria: Israel continues bombing; people look for loved ones in infamous prison

As the uncertainties over Syria’s future continue, Israel has continued to carry out bombardments, ostensibly to stop its stockpile of weapons from falling into the hands of extremists.

On Monday (December 9), Israel carried out more than 100 air strikes in Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based human rights organisation, the BBC reported.

Israel’s bombardment

A research centre, with suspected of links to the production of chemical weapons, is reportedly among the sites hit.

According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the bombardment is necessary to ensure his country’s security.

According to the BBC, which quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, military sites have been targeted in capital Damascus, Daraa, Latakia, and Hama.

Also read: As rebels toppled Assad regime in Syria, how India, US and China have reacted

Search in prison

While Syrian rebel groups that overthrew the government said they would grant amnesty to all military personnel conscripted into the army during Bashar al-Assad’s rule, thousands of Syrians continue to look for their loved ones at the Sednaya prison, infamous as one of the worst in the Middle East.

There have been reports of people being held underground. There are also rumours of secret entrances and chambers with hidden doors, but no one knows where those are. The civil defence organisation The White Helmets could not confirm the presence of more detainees.

“We are doing what we can, with the help of search dogs, available tools and previous detainees,” a member told the BBC.

Halt on asylum cases

Meanwhile, the UK and other European nations have halted decisions on asylum cases from Syria.

The UK’s Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was quoted as saying by the BBC that the situation in Syria is “moving extremely fast after the fall of the Assad regime”, and added that some people are returning to Syria.

She said the government will “closely monitor” the developments there.

Germany, France, Austria, and the Nordic countries have also paused pending asylum requests from Syrians.

Also read: As Syrians around the world celebrate, panic grips citizens in Damascus

Fear of IS comeback

According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Islamic State terrorists may try to use this period of chaos to re-establish itself in Syria, but the United States “will not let that happen”.

He added that Syrians have to be the ones to choose their future.

Blinken also said that Washington has a clear interest to avoid the “fragmentation of Syria, the export of terrorism and extremism”.