Rebel Forces Seize Damascus as Syrian President Flees

Rebel forces in Damascus have introduced the capital metropolis’s liberation from long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad after authorities forces withdrew. This improvement follows the rebels’ earlier success in capturing town of Homs, signaling a major shift within the 13-year Syrian battle.

Reports recommend that Bashar al-Assad, 59, has left Damascus by airplane to an unknown vacation spot, based on Reuters. The Syrian navy has not but issued an official assertion relating to the insurgent takeover or al-Assad’s obvious elimination from energy.

Rebel Broadcast on Syrian State Television

In a symbolic transfer, Syrian rebels aligned with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) used state-run tv and Damascus Radio to declare the tip of Bashar al-Assad’s rule. The broadcast referred to as on residents and fighters alike to “preserve the property of the state of free Syria,” urging unity throughout all sects and religions.

“Long live Syria, free and proud. To all Syrians, whatever their sect,” the published concluded.

Social media footage additionally confirmed hundreds of inmates being launched from Saydnaya Prison, a facility notorious for the alleged torture and execution of al-Assad’s opponents.

Abu Mohammed al-Julani, chief of HTS, introduced that each one public establishments in Damascus would stay beneath the supervision of the previous prime minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali till a proper handover is organized. This choice seems aimed toward stopping chaos and safeguarding state infrastructure through the transition interval.

The former Syrian prime minister has remained in Damascus, promising to assist information the nation towards stability. In a speech shared on social media, al-Jalali expressed hope for a Syria that may rebuild relations with its neighbors and the worldwide neighborhood.

Syirian opposition chief Hadi al-Bahra additionally addressed the general public, emphasizing that Damascus stays protected and urging residents to keep away from violence. “There will be no cases of revenge or retaliation, and no violations of human rights. People’s dignity will be respected and their dignity will be preserved,” he wrote on X (previously Twitter).

What is HTS

HTS has a posh and controversial historical past, rooted in its institution in 2011 as Jabhat al-Nusra, a direct affiliate of Al Qaeda. Initially thought to be some of the efficient and lethal teams preventing in opposition to President Assad, its ideology, pushed by jihadist beliefs fairly than revolutionary fervor, set it other than the broader insurgent coalition beneath the Free Syria banner.

In 2016, the group’s chief, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, publicly severed ties with Al Qaeda, dissolving Jabhat al-Nusra and rebranding as HTS after merging with a number of different militant teams.  Unlike the self-styled Islamic State (IS or ISIS), HTS has confined its ambitions to establishing fundamentalist Islamic rule inside Syria, fairly than pursuing a broader caliphate.

A Look Back: Bashar al-Assad’s Reign

Bashar al-Assad, who got here to energy in 2000 after the demise of his father Hafez al-Assad, presided over a tumultuous period outlined by the 2011 rebellion that spiraled right into a protracted civil struggle. Accusations of human rights violations, together with the usage of chemical weapons, marked his presidency, leaving a legacy of division and destruction.

The struggle has claimed tons of of hundreds of lives, displaced thousands and thousands, and left Syria fractured. Key moments within the battle embody the 2013 chemical weapons assault in Eastern Ghouta, the rise and fall of ISIS, and years of Russian navy help for al-Assad’s regime.