Rebel fighters upon their arrival at the Umayyad Square in Damascus on Dec. 8, 2024. (Credit: Louai Beshara/AFP)
Rebels led by radical Islamists announced on Syrian state television the fall of President Bashar al-Assad and the "liberation" of the capital Damascus after a swift offensive that ended over five decades of Assad family rule.
Dozens gathered in central Damascus to celebrate the regime's downfall, according to footage from AFPTV. At Umayyad Square, the sound of celebratory gunfire mixed with cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’.
"We've been waiting for this day for so long," said Amer Batha, reached by AFP via phone from the square. "I can't believe I'm witnessing this moment," he added, breaking into tears. "This is a new chapter for Syria."
On state television, the rebels declared the fall of the "tyrant" Bashar al-Assad and the "liberation" of Damascus. In their statement, they announced the release of all those "unjustly detained" and called for the preservation of Syrian state property in the "free" country.
Earlier on Telegram, they reported Assad’s "flight" and proclaimed "the city of Damascus free." "Assad left Syria via Damascus International Airport before armed and security forces evacuated the site," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), to AFP. AFP could not immediately verify Assad's whereabouts. The president, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for 24 years, brutally suppressed pro-democracy protests in 2011, which evolved into one of the most violent civil wars of the 21st century.
The "extraordinary events" unfolding in Syria are being "closely monitored" by U.S. President Joe Biden, according to the White House.
End of a ‘dark era’
Since launching their offensive on November 27 in northwest Syria, the rebels have swiftly seized key cities, announcing their intent to capture Damascus and oust Assad. They have called on Syrians displaced abroad to "return to a free Syria" after a conflict that since 2011 has killed over half a million people and fragmented the country into zones controlled by various factions backed by foreign powers.
In a video posted on Facebook, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad al-Jalali expressed willingness to cooperate with any new "leadership" chosen by the people, stating he would be at his office on Sunday morning to facilitate the "handover" of power.
"After 50 years of oppression under the Baath Party and 13 years of crimes, tyranny, and displacement, we announce today the end of this dark era and the beginning of a new chapter for Syria," the rebels declared.
Their forces had already begun entering Damascus, the coalition of rebel groups said earlier, delivering a resounding blow to pro-government forces.
Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and head of the Turkey-backed rebel coalition, instructed his fighters to avoid public institutions, stating they remain under the control of the prime minister until the "official transition."
Meanwhile, Hezbollah, a key ally of Assad, withdrew its forces from areas around Damascus and the Homs region in western Syria, a source close to the group told AFP.
A spectacular advance
The coalition led by HTS, a group that emerged from al-Qaeda's former Syrian branch, has achieved remarkable progress in just ten days. It captured major cities like Aleppo and Hama before announcing on Saturday night that it had taken control of Homs, Syria's third-largest city, and entered Damascus.
The offensive, launched on Nov. 27 from the rebel stronghold of Idlib in the northwest, capitalized on the withdrawal of government forces from several areas. This was despite aerial raids by Russia, the regime's ally, and ground operations targeting insurgent-held sectors.
To the south near the Jordanian border, government troops lost control of Deraa, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising, to local forces, according to the SOHR.
In the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, government forces retreated from their territories, which were subsequently occupied by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
With military backing from Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, Assad's regime had regained much of the country in 2015 and fully recaptured Aleppo in 2016. However, a 2020 ceasefire brokered by Ankara and Moscow brought only a fragile calm to the northwest.
