SYRIA’s armed opposition and rebels say its fighters have captured the capital, Damascus, and that President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country.
The commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, says all state institutions will remain under the supervision of al-Assad’s prime minister until they are handed over officially.
The announcements come hours after the opposition groups seized several cities in a lightning offensive.
The opposition has broadcast their first statement to Syrians on state TV moments ago.
“The city of Damascus has been liberated,” said one man, who was dressed in civilian clothes.
“The tyrant Bashar al Assad has been toppled. All the prisoners have been released from the prison of Damascus. We wish all our fighters and citizens preserve and maintain the property of the state of Syria. Long live Syria.”
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkiye and Russia issued a joint statement earlier in the night, describing the crisis as a “dangerous development” and calling for a political solution.
Bashar al-Assad, 59, took power in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled the country from 1971.
Born in Damascus, al-Assad graduated from medical school in the capital and was studying in London to specialise in ophthalmology but came back to Syria after the death of his brother.
Bassel al-Assad, the older brother, was widely expected to replace their father as leader of the country, but died in a car accident, leaving Bashar as the heir apparent.
His time in power was defined by the war that broke out in 2011, when Syrians demanding democracy took to the streets but were met with deadly force.
The runaway president has been accused of numerous human rights violations, including use of chemical weapons inside Syria during the war, repression of Kurds and forced disappearances.
