On Sunday, Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. Residents in the Syrian capital were seen cheering in the streets of Damascus, as the rebel factions heralded the departure of “tyrant” Assad and “declare the city of Damascus free”.
Assad, who had crushed all forms of dissent, flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.
“After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement… we announce today the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria,” the rebel factions said on Telegram.
The rapid developments in Damascus come only hours after HTS said they had captured the strategic city of Homs, on the way to the capital. The defence ministry earlier denied that rebels had entered Homs, describing the situation there as “safe and stable”.
The dramatic collapse marks a seismic moment for the Middle East, ending the family’s iron-fisted rule over Syria and dealing a massive blow to Russia and Iran, which have lost a key ally at the heart of the region.
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