LIVE | Syrian rebels announce 'end of dark era' as President Assad flees
Syrian PM Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali has said the government is preparing to hand over power to the rebels
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country after rebels declared capital “free” following a surprising offensive.
AP quoting a Syrian state TV video said that Bashar has been officially overthrown while the rebels who stormed the city released all those incarcerated in Saydnaya Military Prison, situated north of Damascus.
“Militarily, Damascus has fallen,” CNN quoted a source familiar with the situation as saying.
"We announce today, 12-8-2024, the end of this dark era and the beginning of a new era for Syria," the rebels announced on Sunday (December 8).
The offensive marks the end of 50 years of rule by the Assad family and a moment that rebels called the “end of the era”.
According to reports, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali has said that the government is preparing to hand over power to the rebels. In a video he was seen being escorted by the rebels.
The prime minister said the whereabouts of Assad and Syrian defence minister are unknown since Saturday night.
The rebels, according to reports, have said that they are in also touch with the senior officers of the Assad regime who are considering defecting.
AFP quoting a war monitor said that the Army and security forces had abandoned the Damascus International Airport before the capture of Damascus.
The rebel groups have so far captured 11 of the 14 provincial capitals.
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Live Updates
- 8 Dec 2024 4:57 PM IST
Turkey says Assad 'probably outside of Syria'
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan stated on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is likely no longer in the country after Islamist-led rebels claimed he had fled.
"Assad is probably outside of Syria," Fidan said during an event in Qatar when asked about Assad's location and potential risks to his safety. A day earlier, Fidan met with his counterparts from Iran and Russia, Assad's allies, at the Doha Forum.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:56 PM IST
Russian minister discusses stabilisation measures for Syria with UN envoy
According to Interfax news agency report, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with the UN envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, in Doha on Saturday and discussed potential measures to stabilise the situation in Syria.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:38 PM IST
Germany calls Assad's ouster a 'relief', warns against radicalisation
Germany's top diplomat called the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad "a great relief" for the people of war-torn country, while warning against radicalisation.
"The end of Assad represents for millions of people in Syria a great relief," said Annalena Baerbock, adding, "the country must not now fall into the hands of other radicals, whatever form they take."
- 8 Dec 2024 4:36 PM IST
Bashar al-Assad leaves for unknown destination
Syria’s Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane in Damascus for an unknown destination early on Sunday, two senior army officers said, as rebels seized the city and ousted him from power after 24 years as president.
Assad has not spoken in public since the sudden rebel advance a week ago when insurgents seized northern Aleppo in a surprise attack before marching into a succession of cities as frontlines crumbled.
His whereabouts now – and those of his wife Asma and their two children – remain unknown.
A Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels, according to data from the Flightradar website. The aircraft initially flew towards Syria’s coastal region, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map.
Two Syrian sources said there was a very high probability that Assad may have been killed if he was on the plane, news agency Reuters reported.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:34 PM IST
Iranian embassy in Damascus comes under attack
Iranian media reported that the Iranian embassy in Damascus has been attacked. According to the reports, the building’s exterior sustained damage, with broken windows and rooms left in disarray. Papers were also scattered across the floor.
Video footage shared by Al Arabiya, an Arabic news organization, also shows a large image of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah being torn apart by a crowd.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:22 PM IST
'Didn't happen overnight,' says Turkish Foreign Minister
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the “Assad regime collapsed and control of the country is changing hands," at the Doha Forum in Qatar, reported AFP. He added, "This didn't happen overnight. For the last 13 years, the country has been in turmoil," suggesting that the civil war began with Assad's repression of democracy protests in 2011.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:19 PM IST
‘We remain committed to serving all citizens’: Syria’s Foreign Ministry
Syria’s Foreign Ministry has released a statement pledging to represent all citizens as the country starts a new chapter.
The new era, the ministry said, will be based on “justice and equality, where everyone enjoys all rights and fulfils all duties”.
The ministry and its missions abroad “remain committed to serving all citizens and facilitating their affairs, driven by the trust placed in them to represent the Syrian people”, it added.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:15 PM IST
Qatar vows to support Syria's political process under UN resolution
Qatar's Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi said that his country will be "fully supporting the political process under UNSC resolution 2254".
The UN resolution calls for an end to hostilities and a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
"“We are fully moving towards systematical, but also procedural steps that will provide stability to preserve unity and the territorial integrity of the Syrian people,” the minister said while speaking at the Doha Forum, Al Jazeera reported.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:14 PM IST
Damascus residents happy in rebel hands, says report
Syria's capital city Damascus is cheering and chanting in celebration of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
The city is now in the control of the rebels, toppling the 24-year-long rule of Assad.
"I can't believe I'm living this moment," a tearful Damascus resident told AFP, adding that, "We've been waiting for a long time for this day."
"We are starting a new history for Syria," the resident added.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:13 PM IST
Citizens topple statues of Hafez al-Assad
Syrians around the country on Sunday toppled and trampled on statues of President Bashar al-Assad's late father Hafez, who was the military dictator of the region.
In the capital Damascus, people cheered as they stood on a toppled statue of former president Hafez al-Assad, in a highly symbolic moment for a country ruled with an iron fist for five decades by his clan.
The scenes came as Islamist-led rebels declared Bashar al-Assad had fled the country following a lightning offensive that wrested city after city from his control, culminating with their arrival in Damascus.
