Syrian rebels oust Assad, seize control of Damascus on Sunday

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

Middle East geopolitical tensions mount as the 15-year-long civil war in Syria took a new turn over the weekend after Syrian rebels seized control and ousted the old autocratic leader, President Bashar al-Assad, after seizing control of Damascus on Sunday.

Reuters reported that Russia has given asylum to Bashar al-Assad and his family after the toppling of his government by opposition forces in a lightning offensive.

The United Nations (UN) is set to convene for an emergency closed-door meeting on Monday regarding the situation in Syria.

Top rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani said a "new history was being written" after a "great victory".

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has taken note of the statements made by the rebel leaders of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) group, and Washington has called on all actors involved to respect human rights.

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

EUR/USD trims gains, back below 1.1800

EUR/USD now loses some upside momentum, returning to the area below the 1.1800 support as the Greenback manages to regain some composure following the SCOTUS-led pullback earlier in the session.

GBP/USD off highs, recedes to the sub-1.3500 area

Following earlier highs north of 1.3500 the figure, GBP/USD now faces some renewed downside pressure, revisiting the 1.3490 zone as the US Dollar manages to regain some upside impulse in the latter part of the NA session on Friday.

Gold climbs to weekly tops, approaches $5,100/oz

Gold keeps the bid tone well in place at the end of the week, now hitting fresh weekly highs and retargeting the key $5,100 mark per troy ounce. The move higher in the yellow metal comes in response to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and modest losses in the US Dollar.