Hasan Belal / EPA
People celebrate in Damascus after the announcement of the fall of the Syrian regime and the escape of President Bashar al-Assad
Rebel groups announced this Sunday, in a speech on Syrian public television, the fall of ‘tyrant’ Bashar al-Assad, guaranteeing that they had released all prisoners ‘unjustly’ detained. Nobody knows where the Syrian president is. On the streets, the population celebrates the “liberation of the country”.
The fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and the escape of the Syrian president were announced today on Syrian public television by a group of nine people from the self-styled “operations cell for the liberation of Damascus”.
The group read a press release announcing “the liberation of the city of Damascus, the remains of tyrant Bashar al-Assadand the release of all prisoners unjustly detained in the regime’s prisons.”
The Islamic fundamentalist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which leads a rebel coalition in Syria, had announced that it had begun entering Damascus. “Our strengths began to enter Damascus“, declared HTS in a message on the Telegram platform, after having conquered other cities in the country.
“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled, we proclaim the city of Damascus free“, announced the Syrian rebels.
“After 50 years of oppression under power from the Baath partyand 13 years of crimes, tyranny and forced displacement, today we announce the end of this dark period and the beginning of a new era for Syria“, added the coalition, which calls on Syrians displaced abroad to “return to free Syria“.
On the streets of Damascus and other Syrian cities, people took to the streets to celebrate the fall of the “tyrannical” regime of Bashar al-Assad.
The HTS commander, Abu Mohammad al-Jolaniwho is directing the rebels’ offensive to conquer the Syrian capital, has meanwhile asked the fighting forces to do not approach public institutions in Damascus, which continue under control of the former prime ministerthe Syrian until an “official handover” of power.
“To all military forces in the city of Damascus, is completely prohibited approach public institutions, which will remain under the control of the former prime minister until the official handover”, said in a statement al-Jolani, who started using his real name Ahmed al-Chareh.
For your part, the Syrian Prime Minister said he was “ready to cooperate with the new leadership” chosen by the people, stating that he would be at the government headquarters this morning to “any procedure for the transfer of power“.
“This country can be a normal country, it can build good relations with its neighbors and the world, but this issue it will be up to the leadership that the Syrian people choose. We are ready to cooperate” in all ways, he said. Mohamed al-Jalali in a video published on the social network Facebook.
Where is Bashar al-Assad?
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) also announced today that the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, left the countryin the face of the rebel offensive.
“Assad left Syria and left through Damascus airportbefore the withdrawal of members of the armed and security forces” from the site, the director of the non-governmental organization, Rami Abdel Rahmanreferring to the President of Syria, who has led the country for 24 years.
The organization also indicated that, given the advance of rebel forces, an order to pick up to leave the airport of the Syrian capital was given to the army and security forces.
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidanadmitted today that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is probably out of the countryafter Islamic rebels announced their escape.
Assad “is probably out of Syria”said Fidan at the Doha Forum, an international conference taking place in Qatar, responding to a question about the Syrian leader’s whereabouts and whether his life was in danger. “I’m not sure. I can’t comment on that. I think he is outside Syria,” replied Fidan.
Meanwhile, rumors are circulating on social media that Bashar al-Assad’s plane may have crashed. In a post on X/Twitter, the Tendar profile says that “a Syrian IL-76T aircraft from Damascus quickly lost altitude near Homs and possibly crashed west of this city.”
Developing:
A Syrian IL-76T coming from Damascus lost fast altitude near Homs and possibly crashed west of that city. There are rumors that it was Assad‘s plane.
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar)
Trump and Biden monitor the situation
According to the president-elect of the United States, Donald TrumpSyrian President Bashar al-Assad, “fled” Syria after losing Russia’s supportyour protector.
“Al-Assad is gone. He fled his country. His protector, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, no longer wanted to protect him”, wrote Donald Trump on the Truth social platform.
According to Trump, Russia “lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where about 600,000 Russian soldiers are injured or killedin a war that should never have started and that could last forever.”
“Russia and Iran are currently weakenedone because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its combat successes,” Trump added.
Opposition fighters in Syria, in an unprecedented move, have totally taken over numerous cities, in a highly coordinated offensive, and are now on the outskirts of Damascus, obviously preparing to make a very big move toward taking out Assad. Russia, because they are so tied up…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
The American President, Joe Biden and his team “are closely following developments in Syria and are in permanent contact” with regional entities in the United States, said the Security Council spokesperson, Sean Savetton social media.
