Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left Damascus on a plane for an unknown destination, Reuters news agency reported, citing two senior Syrian officials. The opposition is announcing the end of a “dark era” as rebel forces entered the Syrian capital and declared Damascus liberated.
Syrian rebels announced in a statement on state television on Sunday morning that they had liberated Damascus and overthrown the 24-year-old regime of Bashar al-Assad, saying all political prisoners had been released, Reuters and AFP reported.
Assad, who has crushed all forms of dissent and imprisoned thousands, fled Damascus on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as the rebels entered the capital without encountering armed resistance.
Although it was said the former Syrian president had flown to an unknown destination, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday, citing a Kremlin source, that Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Russia and been granted asylum by Russian authorities
In the statement read on television, the rebels announced the fall of “tyrant” Bashar al-Assad and the liberation of the capital Damascus. They also said they had released all “unjustly imprisoned” prisoners and called for the protection of the assets of the “free” Syrian state.
Dozens of people gathered in the center of the capital Damascus to celebrate the fall of the regime, according to AFP. In Umayyad Square, the sound of gunfire mingled with shouts of “Allahu Akbar” (God is great).
Rebels had earlier announced the president’s escape on the Telegram app, proclaiming Damascus a “free city.”
“Assad left Syria from the international airport before members of the armed and security forces left,” the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP.
The radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which leads a coalition of rebels in Syria, has declared the end of Bashar al-Assad’s tyranny and a “free” Syria. The rebels said they had entered the capital and taken control of the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of Damascus. In power since 2000, Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Saturday that the United States “will not intervene” in Syria’s civil war but would “take steps” to prevent any possible revival of ISIS.
Assad’s plane reportedly disappeared from radar
Just before the capitulation of the capital Damascus by military forces, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded an IL-76 at Damascus International Airport with an unknown destination, writes the X account OSINTechnical.
According to the source, the plane flew north, towards Turkey, but in the area of the city of Homs, 120km from Damascus, it made a loop to the west and disappeared from radar. The city of Homs fell into the hands of the rebels in recent days.
The rebels have already entered Assad’s palace, which they found empty. The gates were wide open, everything was deserted and not a single soldier guarding the objective, according to information that appeared on the X OSINTechnical account.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali announced that he would remain in Damascus and that he was ready to help do what was best for the people. In a speech broadcast on social media, Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali also said that Syria “can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbors and the world.”
ICRC is calling for safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians
ICRC’s head of delegation in Syria Stephan Sakalian said on the humanitarian situation:
“Our teams in Syria, including in Damascus, have been closely monitoring the fast-evolving security and humanitarian situation in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC).
The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) is responding wherever possible, with further efforts underway, as hundreds of thousands of people need care and humanitarian assistance. We call on all parties to urgently enable safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian workers to reach those in need, to protect civilians, and to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Since 1967, the ICRC has served communities in Syria. Helping those in need remains our priority today.”
The boarders are changing from Syria to Ukraine and then to the Balkans and Romania does not have a leader! Wake up.