Nations call for stability in Mideast amid Syria crisis

China said it is closely following the situation in Syria and hopes that stability will return to the country as soon as possible, after Syrian opposition forces pulled off a lightning 10-day offensive, capturing vast areas of government-held territory, and stormed into the capital, Damascus, early Sunday.

Several other countries joined the chorus for ending conflicts and restoring stability in the Middle East region, after Syrian state television aired a video statement of a man in military fatigues, flanked by armed fighters, who said that President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown.

The statement came hours after a Syrian opposition war monitor said that Assad had left the country for an undisclosed location. Multiple media outlets also reported his departure from Syria.