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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"This great achievement is the result of your determination to move forward toward freedom, dignity, and equality, despite long years of repression and brutality," the SDC said. It added, "The blood of martyrs, the suffering of detainees, and the struggles of the displaced have drawn a straight path toward freedom."
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