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 4:12 PM IST
UK Deputy PM welcomes news of of Assad regime's fall
UK's deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has said that she welcomes the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's regime.
She told Sky News that the situation in Syria “looks very serious" and that “If (the) Assad regime has fallen, then I welcome that news, but what we need to see is a political resolution in line with the UN resolutions. "
“We need to see civilians and infrastructure protected, far too many people have lost their lives, we need stability in that region," she said.
She added, “We’ve had a plan to ensure that people were evacuated ahead of what’s happened over the weekend, and we continue to support our UK nationals.”
- 8 Dec 2024 4:11 PM IST
Opposition's flag raised at Athens embassy
On Sunday, the Syrian opposition flag was raised at the Syrian embassy in Athens, just hours after Islamist-led rebels declared they had captured Damascus, marking the end of President Bashar al-Assad's rule.
According to Greek state news agency ANA, at least three men entered the embassy and raised the flag, which was later seen hanging from the building's roof.
Authorities responded by sending officers to the scene, and the three men were detained.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:10 PM IST
'Watershed moment', says UN Special Envoy
The UN special envoy to Syria called the situation in the country a "watershed moment" on Sunday, following claims by Islamist-led rebels that they had seized Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee and bringing an end to over five decades of Baathist rule. Describing nearly 14 years of civil war in Syria as a "dark chapter (that) has left deep scars", Geir Pedersen said in a statement that "today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new one—one of peace, reconciliation, dignity, and inclusion for all Syrians".
- 8 Dec 2024 4:05 PM IST
Syrian rebel coalition says it is working to transfer power to transitional governing body
The Syrian rebel coalition said on Sunday it is continuing work to complete the transfer of power in Syria to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.
“The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people,” it added in a statement. – Reuters
- 8 Dec 2024 4:04 PM IST
US will remain present in eastern Syria, try to prevent IS resurgence: Pentagon
The United States will continue to maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain’s capital on Sunday.
Speaking hours after Syrian rebels announced they had toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Shapiro called on all parties to protect civilians, particularly minorities, and respect international norms.
- 8 Dec 2024 4:03 PM IST
Trump says Assad 'fled' Syria after losing Russia’s support
US President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had “fled his country” after losing the backing of Russia, as reported by The Guardian.
“Assad is gone,” he said on his Truth Social platform. “His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was no longer interested in protecting him.”
- 8 Dec 2024 4:02 PM IST
Russian lawmaker says Syrians must face full-scale civil war themselves
Syrians will have to cope with a full-scale civil war alone, Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of Russia’s upper house of parliament said on Sunday, the Interfax news agency reported, as quoted by Reuters.
Syrian rebels announced on state television on Sunday that they had ousted President Bashar al-Assad, eliminating a 50-year family dynasty in a lightning offensive that raises the spectre of a new wave of instability in the Middle East gripped by war.
Russia, a staunch Assad ally, intervened decisively in 2015 to prop him up during Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011.
Russian war bloggers have raised fears about the fate of two strategically important Russian military facilities in Syria.
- 8 Dec 2024 3:59 PM IST
Syrian rebels issues strict protocols
The military command of the opposition forces has issued a statement, with strict instructions sent out to all opposition forces.
The statement, as reported by Al Jazeera, states:
It is strictly forbidden to fire bullets into the air under any circumstances, as it causes panic among civilians and endangers the lives of the innocent.
It is forbidden to tamper with public institutions and property, as they are the rightful property of the people. It is our duty to protect and preserve them and help develop them.
It is forbidden to encroach upon or harm any private property in any form.
- 8 Dec 2024 3:57 PM IST
Iraq says border crossing with Syria closed
Iraq has secured its Al-Qaim border crossing with Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government. The Iraqi Border Guard Command confirmed the crossing is "completely closed" and the border is fully secured, with no additional forces required.
- 8 Dec 2024 3:51 PM IST
Few shedding tears for Assad's downfall
Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of the Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera the Syrian government was “one of the world’s most ruthless regimes".
“Few people are shedding any tears over the demise of the Assad regime. They have executed or tortured to death thousands upon thousands of prisoners," Roth stressed.
