Syria falls, ending more than half a century of Assad’s rule

They also searched Assad’s private residence.

Arson was common: opposition fighters were photographed burning down a military court in the capital.

Not everyone was so happy. THE Associated Press reported that thousands of Syrians were fleeing towards the Lebanese border, trying to flee the country in the face of advancing rebels. Chaotic scenes unfolded at Damascus International Airport after airport staff disappeared and the sudden announcement that flights were canceled. Syrians trying to flee the country were seen running around the terminal in panic.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that many military and security officials fled the country via the airport shortly before it was captured by rebels.

Syrian state television, taken over by opposition forces, broadcast an image bearing a broad message: “The victory of the great Syrian revolution and the overthrow of the Assad regime.”

A group of rebels appeared on state television to announce Assad’s overthrow, adding that they had freed all prisoners from government prisons. During a round table, the moment of their arrival was capture on state television.

Among the targets of the anti-Assad crowds was the Iranian embassy. Videos showed citizens tearing up a large poster depicting slain former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qassem Soleimani and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. It was evacuated before the rebels’ advance.

The government began a peaceful transition on Sunday, with Assad’s Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali announcing in a video statement that he had not left the country and expressing his willingness to “cooperate” with rebel leaders. He was seen on video being guided by opposition fighters to negotiate the transfer of power. Hayat Tahrir al Sham ordered its fighters not to attack government buildings during the transition.

Syrian government authorities quickly took this change into account.

“Today, a new page is being written in the history of Syria, to inaugurate a national pact and a charter which unites the words of the Syrians, unites them and does not divide them, in order to build a single homeland in which justice and equality prevail. ” said a statement from the country’s new foreign ministry, adding that it would continue to work with foreign governments.

As of Sunday morning Eastern Time, Assad’s whereabouts remain unclear. He would have left the country. Social media users who follow Assad’s alleged plane noted that it disappeared from flight radars near the city of Homs. Two Syrian security sources said Reuters that there is a “very high probability” that he died in a plane crash.

The Russian Foreign Ministry made no indication that he was dead or missing in its first statement after the fall of Damascus.

“As a result of negotiations between B. Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the (Syrian Arab Republic), he decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving the order to transfer power peacefully,” it read.

Assad’s fall was also notable as he was the last Ba’athist head of state, an ideology favoring the creation of a pan-Arab socialist state. It was previously one of the most important intellectual movements in the Arab world. His father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled the country from 1971 until his death and his son taking over shortly after.

The spectacular collapse of the Assad government occurred in just 12 days after HTS launched a surprise offensive on November 27 from Idlib. The Syrian civil war had stagnated for more than four years, following a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey in March 2020. Assad was widely seen as having won the civil war, with regional actors bringing the former pariah back into the fold. lap.

The HTS-led offensive completely routed the ASA, triggering a series of routes for government forces. Assad’s two main allies who had previously saved him, Russia and Iran, have been distracted by conflicts with Ukraine and Israel, respectively. The government’s collapse happened too quickly for either to send sufficient aid.

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The end of the Assad regime marks a new uncertain era for both Syria and the Middle East. While all major opposition factions celebrated their fall, Syria now finds itself governed by more than half a dozen major factions with irreconcilable goals. HTS, an offshoot of al-Qaeda recognized as a terrorist group by the United States, is unlikely to gain much-needed international support. Clashes between Kurds and Turkey’s proxies in the north have already been reported.

With the loss of what united the disparate factions, Syria may not know peace for long.