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'New era, free of Assad': Syria rebels announce as Army puts in arms
Syrian rebels announced that President Assad has fled and declared Damascus liberated. They urged Syrians abroad to return.
Syrian rebels claimed on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad had fled the country, urging Syrians abroad to return to a "free Syria" and announcing that Damascus was liberated from the "tyrant."
"The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled" and "we declare the city of Damascus free", the rebel factions said on Telegram, adding that "after 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement... we announce today the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria".
The statement comes just minutes after the Syrian army command reportedly informed officers that Assad's rule had come to an end following a swift rebel offensive, according to Reuters.
Earlier, two senior military officers confirmed to Reuters that Assad had flown out of Damascus for an undisclosed destination on Sunday, while rebels entered the capital with no signs of military resistance. Witnesses reported thousands of people gathering in a central square in Damascus, celebrating and chanting "Freedom."
The rebels also celebrated the news of freeing prisoners and ending the era of injustice at Sednaya prison, a notorious military facility on the outskirts of Damascus where thousands were detained by the Syrian government.
Data from the Flightradar website revealed that a Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time rebels reportedly took control of the capital. The plane initially headed towards Syria's coastal region, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, but then made a sudden U-turn and disappeared from the radar.
The leader of Syria's main opposition group abroad, Hadi al-Bahra, also declared on Sunday that Damascus was now "without Bashar al-Assad."
Just hours earlier, rebels had announced full control over the strategic city of Homs after a day of fighting. The fall of Homs marked a critical blow to Assad’s 24-year rule. Thousands of Homs residents flooded the streets, celebrating with chants of "Assad is gone, Homs is free" and "Long live Syria, down with Bashar al-Assad." Rebels fired celebratory shots into the air, while young people tore down Assad's posters.
The capture of Homs gave the insurgents control of Syria's heartland, severing the link between Damascus and Assad's coastal stronghold. Homs also marked a symbol of the rebels' dramatic resurgence in the 13-year conflict. The city had previously been devastated by years of siege warfare between the rebels and the army.
Allies role in supporting Assad
Assad long relied on allies to subdue the rebels. Russian warplanes conducted bombing while Iran sent allied forces including Hezbollah and Iraqi militia to reinforce the Syrian military and storm insurgent strongholds.
But Russia has been focused on the war in Ukraine since 2022 and Hezbollah has suffered big losses in its own gruelling war with Israel, significantly limiting its ability or that of Iran to bolster Assad.
US President-elect Donald Trump has said the U.S. should not be involved in the conflict and should "let it play out".
