This Sunday (8), Syrian crowds took to the streets to celebrate the fall of the president, following a lightning offensive by rebel groups led by Islamists. The dictator’s defeat puts an end to more than 50 years of rule by the Assad family, begun by his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled from 1971 to 2000. The Russian government, the deposed government’s main ally, confirmed the leader’s resignation and his exile, with the granting of asylum. The fall of the regime was marked by the looting of the president’s luxurious residence in , which was stormed after rebels entered the Syrian capital.
“Today, I am no longer afraid,” said Abu Omar, a 44-year-old Syrian, in reference to the repression suffered under the regime. In Umayyad Square, fighters celebrated, toppling statues of Hafez al-Assad and firing shots in joy. The rebel offensive, which began on November 27 from Idlib province, resulted in at least 910 deaths, including 138 civilians, and caused the displacement of 370,000 people, according to UN data. The civil war in Syria, which began in 2011 after protests against the government, has left almost half a million dead.
Abu Mohammed al Jolani, the Islamist leader of the rebel coalition, arrived in Damascus and, in a speech at the Umayyad Mosque, declared that Syria had been “purified” and that the end of the Bashar al Assad regime marks the beginning of a new era for the country. He said the rebels had freed all “unjustly detained” prisoners and announced the end of the “dark era” of the Baath party.
The international community reacted with different stances. UN Secretary-General António Guterres celebrated the end of the “dictatorial regime” in Syria, while US President Joe Biden called the fall of Assad a “historic opportunity” and highlighted that the leader should “be accountable ”. Russia, in turn, assured that Russian military bases in the country were safe and requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the situation.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia have warned of the risk of chaos and division in Syria, while Turkey has called for a peaceful transition. The Israeli government also spoke out, considering the fall of al Assad a “historic day”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to seize a demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights and stated that Israel will not allow the presence of hostile forces on the border. The fall of the al Assad regime opens a period of uncertainty for Syria, which continues to be fragmented by civil war, with several international powers involved in the conflict.
*With information from AFP
Published by Felipe Dantas
