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Syrian rebels at presidential complex, airport evacuated | Damascus capture in videos
Syria civil war: In Damascus, residents celebrated in the streets as rebel factions declared the city “free” and cheered the departure of “tyrant” Assad.
Syria civil war: Videos surfaced online showing insurgents breaking into the Syrian presidential complex after Islamist-led rebels claimed to have captured Damascus in a rapid offensive on Sunday. The rebels' swift advance reignited the long-standing conflict, which began in 2011 when Assad cracked down on anti-government protests but had largely stagnated in recent years.
This offensive prompted President Bashar al-Assad to flee, marking the end of five decades of Baathist rule in Syria.
In the capital, residents celebrated in the streets as rebel factions declared the city "free" and cheered the departure of "tyrant" Assad.
Damascus International Airport was reportedly evacuated, with all flights suspended as rebel groups stormed the city. A video shared online showed passengers fleeing the airport. According to the Observatory, the army and other security forces withdrew from the airport after Assad reportedly left the country.
HT could not independently verify the videos.
Some rebels climbed atop a tank in celebration, while others defaced a toppled statue of Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, who ruled Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000, establishing a brutal regime that Bashar inherited. On Sunday, the rebels declared that Bashar al-Assad had fled the country following their rapid offensive.
Fall of Assad rule in Syria
Syrian state TV broadcasted a video announcing that President Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown and all detainees have been freed from jail.
The Syrian government collapsed early Sunday, marking a dramatic end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family. This came after a sudden rebel offensive rapidly moved through government-controlled areas and reached the capital within 10 days.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the push to oust Assad, claimed to have entered Damascus on Saturday evening and captured the key city of Homs, located about 160 kilometres from the capital. Other regions, including those near the Turkish border and in the south, were seized by different rebel groups.
The head of a Syrian opposition war monitor reported that Assad had fled the country for an undisclosed location, ahead of the insurgents who claimed to have entered Damascus after their rapid advance across Syria.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali stated that the government was ready to "extend its hand" to the opposition and hand over power to a transitional government.
Assad’s reported departure comes less than two weeks after the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched its campaign against more than five decades of Assad family rule.
"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 rebel factions declared on Telegram.
