On Sunday, Syrian rebel factions took over Damascus and proclaimed the country “free,” after capturing a number of major cities in a lightning-fast attack during the previous few weeks.
Why it’s important The de facto fall of the Assad administration, which has held onto power for 14 years due to civil conflict, is demonstrated by the rebels’ entry into Damascus without any real opposition.
• Following a year of Middle East conflict, this is a startling development and another significant regional earthquake that will short-term destabilize Syria and the region.Longer term, it might have significant effects on Syria and its supporters, including Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah.It contributed to President Bashar al-Assad’s continued rule following the 2011 revolution.
Situation: Assad has departed Damascus for an unidentified location, according to a Sunday morning local time Reuters report.
• The rebels also liberated hundreds of inmates from the notorious Sednaya jail in the Damascus suburbs on Sunday morning.
•Social media videos showed Syrian soldiers disembarking from their Damascus positions, changing out of their uniforms, and dressing in civilian attire.
• Videos showing thousands of people in Damascus’ main square applauding and celebrating the overthrow of the Assad regime were shown by Al Jazeera and other Arab TV networks.Rebels also control Damascus International Airport.
Most recent: The head of the Syrian National Coalition, Hadi al-Bahra, is one Syrian opposition figure who informed Al-Arabiya that the Assad regime had been overthrown.According to him, the objective is to restore the nation’s security and stability rather than exact retribution.
• In a statement from his residence in Damascus, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, the prime minister of the Assad government, stated that he was eager to carry out a peaceful handover of power and that he was not leaving Syria.
•He urged everyone in Syria, including the opposition, to refrain from harming others or destroying governmental institutions.
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the head of the Islamist rebel organization HTS, urged all rebel organizations in Damascus to avoid government buildings shortly after Al-Jalali’s remarks.
He emphasized that until a smooth transfer occurs, these will continue to be overseen by the former prime minister.
The overall picture: The regime’s fall signifies the end of the 53-year Assad family control in Syria, which started when Hafez al-Assad took over in a coup.
After his death in 2000, his son Bashar took over, but his violent response to the 2011 Syrian revolt made him a global outcast.
The fall of the regime also marks the end of Syria’s more than 50 years of Alawite minority rule and the end of the secular Ba’ath Party’s control over the country.
The intrigue: Flight Radar reports that just before the rebels entered, a Syrian Ilyushin-76 aircraft believed to be transporting Assad took off from Damascus airport.After heading northwest, the aircraft veered close to the city of Homs, quickly dropped in altitude, and vanished.
