DAMASCUS HAS FALLEN
BASHAR ASSAD RUNS AWAY
Syrian spring arrives in winter: 'tyrant' falls, prisoners freed
The collapse marks a dramatic turn in a civil war that erupted in 2011 after the regime violently suppressed pro-democracy protests.
Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father after he died in 2000, continuing Baath Party rule. / Photo: Reuters
61 years of Syria’s Baath regime have come to an end.
Sixty-one years of Baath Party rule in Syria, which began in 1963 with a coup, have ended as opposition forces seized control of the capital Damascus.
The Arab Socialist Baath Party came to power through a coup in March 1963. In 1970, Hafez al-Assad, the father of Syria’s most recent ruler Bashar al-Assad, consolidated power through an internal party coup and assumed the presidency in 1971.
Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father after he died in 2000, continuing Baath Party rule.
Amid rumours that Assad fled Damascus by plane for the city of Homs, his current fate and whereabouts are unclear.
The Syrian opposition has announced in a televised statement that they have freed Damascus and overthrown President Bashar al Assad's 24-year regime, adding that all prisoners have been released.
The opposition said it has "toppled 'tyrant' Bashar al-Assad."
Protesters rose against the regime late on Saturday in Damascus neighbourhoods, while regime forces pulled out from critical sites such as the defence ministry, interior ministry and the international airport.
With the entry of protesters into crucial areas, the regime had lost most of its control over the capital.
Prisoners in the Sednaya Prison in Damascus, known for its association with the regime and notorious torture practices, were freed by demonstrators who stormed the facility.
Opposition forces had taken control of most of Aleppo’s city centre and established dominance across Idlib province by November 30.
Following intense clashes on Thursday, opposition groups took control of the Hama city centre from regime forces.
Anti-regime groups seized several settlements in the strategically important Homs province and began to advance towards the Syrian capital.
On Friday, Syrian opposition groups took control of Daraa in southern Syria near the Jordanian border.
Earlier on Saturday, they seized control of Suwayda province in the south and local opposition forces in Quneitra gained control of the provincial capital.
The collapse marks a dramatic turn in a civil war that erupted in 2011 after the regime violently suppressed pro-democracy protests.
Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father after he died in 2000, continuing Baath Party rule. / Photo: Reuters
61 years of Syria’s Baath regime have come to an end.
Sixty-one years of Baath Party rule in Syria, which began in 1963 with a coup, have ended as opposition forces seized control of the capital Damascus.
The Arab Socialist Baath Party came to power through a coup in March 1963. In 1970, Hafez al-Assad, the father of Syria’s most recent ruler Bashar al-Assad, consolidated power through an internal party coup and assumed the presidency in 1971.
Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father after he died in 2000, continuing Baath Party rule.
Amid rumours that Assad fled Damascus by plane for the city of Homs, his current fate and whereabouts are unclear.
The Syrian opposition has announced in a televised statement that they have freed Damascus and overthrown President Bashar al Assad's 24-year regime, adding that all prisoners have been released.
The opposition said it has "toppled 'tyrant' Bashar al-Assad."
Protesters rose against the regime late on Saturday in Damascus neighbourhoods, while regime forces pulled out from critical sites such as the defence ministry, interior ministry and the international airport.
With the entry of protesters into crucial areas, the regime had lost most of its control over the capital.
Prisoners in the Sednaya Prison in Damascus, known for its association with the regime and notorious torture practices, were freed by demonstrators who stormed the facility.
Opposition forces had taken control of most of Aleppo’s city centre and established dominance across Idlib province by November 30.
Following intense clashes on Thursday, opposition groups took control of the Hama city centre from regime forces.
Anti-regime groups seized several settlements in the strategically important Homs province and began to advance towards the Syrian capital.
On Friday, Syrian opposition groups took control of Daraa in southern Syria near the Jordanian border.
Earlier on Saturday, they seized control of Suwayda province in the south and local opposition forces in Quneitra gained control of the provincial capital.
Rebels declare end of Assad rule in Syria after capturing Damascus
Rebels in Syria captured the capital city on Sunday, declaring it free of Assad. Before that, the rebels captured the key city of Homs.
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
08 December, 2024
Residents in the Syrian capital were seen cheering in the streets of Damascus [Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty]
Rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on Sunday, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria.
Residents in the Syrian capital were seen cheering in the streets of Damascus, as the rebel factions heralded the departure of "tyrant" Assad and "declare the city of Damascus free".
The president's reported departure comes less than two weeks since the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group launched its campaign challenging more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.
"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 said on Telegram.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he was ready to cooperate with "any leadership chosen by the Syrian people".
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP "Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left" the facility.
AFP was unable to immediately confirm the report, which follows a source close to Hezbollah saying fighters from the key Assad ally had left their positions around Damascus.
HTS said their fighters broke into a jail on the outskirts of the capital, announcing an "end of the era of tyranny in the prison of Sednaya" which has become a by-word for darkest abuses of the Syrian regime.
The rapid developments in Damascus come only hours after HTS said they had captured the strategic city of Homs, on the way to the capital.
The defence ministry earlier denied that rebels had entered Homs, describing the situation there as "safe and stable".
Homs lies about 140 kilometres (85 miles) north of the capital and was the third major city seized by the rebels who began their advance on November 27, reigniting a years-long war that had become largely dormant.
Hezbollah fighters leave
Monitoring events in Damascus, the Britain-based Observatory confirmed "the doors of the infamous 'Sednaya' prison... have been opened for thousands of detainees who were imprisoned by the security apparatus throughout the regime's rule".
Assad's government has earlier denied the army had withdrawn from areas around Damascus.
Reports the president had fled were followed by the premier saying he was ready to "cooperate" with a new leadership and any handover process.
"This country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbours and the world... but this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people," Jalali said in a speech broadcast on his Facebook account.
Assad has for years been backed by Lebanese Hezbollah, whose forces "vacated their positions around Damascus" according to a source close to the group.
Hezbollah "has instructed its fighters in recent hours to withdraw from the Homs area, with some heading to Latakia (in Syria) and others to the Hermel area in Lebanon", the source also told AFP.
'Suddenly everyone was scared'
AFP has been unable to independently verify some of the information provided by the government and the rebels, as its journalists cannot reach the areas around Damascus where the rebels say they are present.
Residents of the capital described to AFP a state of panic on Saturday as traffic jams clogged the city centre, people sought supplies and queued to withdraw money from ATMs.
"The situation was not like this when I left my house this morning... suddenly everyone was scared," said one woman, Rania.
A few kilometres (miles) away, the mood was starkly different.
In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, witnesses said protesters toppled a statue of Assad's father, the late leader Hafez al-Assad.
AFPTV images from Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, showed abandoned tanks and other armoured vehicles, one of them on fire.
Hama resident Kharfan Mansour said he was "happy with the liberation of Hama and the liberation of Syria from the Assad regime".
Soldiers 'fled' to Iraq
The Observatory said on Saturday government forces had lost control of all southern Daraa province, the cradle of the 2011 uprising.
The army said it was "redeploying and repositioning" in Daraa and another southern province, Suwayda.
The Observatory also said troops were also evacuating posts in Quneitra, near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
Jordan has urged its citizens to leave neighbouring Syria "as soon as possible", as have the United States and Assad ally Russia, which both keep troops in Syria.
An AFP correspondent in Daraa saw local fighters guarding public property and civil institutions.
In Suwayda, a local fighter told AFP that after government forces withdrew "from their positions and headquarters, we are now securing and protecting vital facilities".
An Iraqi security source told AFP that Baghdad has allowed in hundreds of Syrian soldiers, who "fled the front lines", through the Al-Qaim border crossing. A second source put the figure at 2,000 troops, including officers.
'War, blood and tears'
HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda. Proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Western governments, it has sought to soften its image in recent years, and told minority groups living in areas they now control not to worry.
Since the offensive began, at least 826 people, mostly combatants but also including 111 civilians, have been killed, the Observatory said.
The United Nations said the violence has displaced 370,000 people.
UN special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for "urgent political talks" to implement a 2015 Security Council resolution, which set out a roadmap for a negotiated settlement.
US President-elect Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the United States should "not get involved", after outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Friday for a "political solution to the conflict", in a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
After Fidan and his Iranian and Russian counterparts discussed Syria in Qatar on Saturday, Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said they agreed on the initiation of "political dialogue between the Syrian government and legitimate opposition groups".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was "inadmissible" to allow a "terrorist group to take control" of Syrian territory.
Moscow and Tehran have supported Assad's government and army during the war.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government backs some armed groups in northern Syria, said Saturday that Syria "is tired of war, blood and tears".
Rebels in Syria captured the capital city on Sunday, declaring it free of Assad. Before that, the rebels captured the key city of Homs.
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
08 December, 2024
Residents in the Syrian capital were seen cheering in the streets of Damascus [Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty]
Rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on Sunday, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria.
Residents in the Syrian capital were seen cheering in the streets of Damascus, as the rebel factions heralded the departure of "tyrant" Assad and "declare the city of Damascus free".
The president's reported departure comes less than two weeks since the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group launched its campaign challenging more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.
"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 said on Telegram.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he was ready to cooperate with "any leadership chosen by the Syrian people".
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP "Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left" the facility.
AFP was unable to immediately confirm the report, which follows a source close to Hezbollah saying fighters from the key Assad ally had left their positions around Damascus.
HTS said their fighters broke into a jail on the outskirts of the capital, announcing an "end of the era of tyranny in the prison of Sednaya" which has become a by-word for darkest abuses of the Syrian regime.
The rapid developments in Damascus come only hours after HTS said they had captured the strategic city of Homs, on the way to the capital.
The defence ministry earlier denied that rebels had entered Homs, describing the situation there as "safe and stable".
Homs lies about 140 kilometres (85 miles) north of the capital and was the third major city seized by the rebels who began their advance on November 27, reigniting a years-long war that had become largely dormant.
Hezbollah fighters leave
Monitoring events in Damascus, the Britain-based Observatory confirmed "the doors of the infamous 'Sednaya' prison... have been opened for thousands of detainees who were imprisoned by the security apparatus throughout the regime's rule".
Assad's government has earlier denied the army had withdrawn from areas around Damascus.
Reports the president had fled were followed by the premier saying he was ready to "cooperate" with a new leadership and any handover process.
"This country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbours and the world... but this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people," Jalali said in a speech broadcast on his Facebook account.
Assad has for years been backed by Lebanese Hezbollah, whose forces "vacated their positions around Damascus" according to a source close to the group.
Hezbollah "has instructed its fighters in recent hours to withdraw from the Homs area, with some heading to Latakia (in Syria) and others to the Hermel area in Lebanon", the source also told AFP.
'Suddenly everyone was scared'
AFP has been unable to independently verify some of the information provided by the government and the rebels, as its journalists cannot reach the areas around Damascus where the rebels say they are present.
Residents of the capital described to AFP a state of panic on Saturday as traffic jams clogged the city centre, people sought supplies and queued to withdraw money from ATMs.
"The situation was not like this when I left my house this morning... suddenly everyone was scared," said one woman, Rania.
A few kilometres (miles) away, the mood was starkly different.
In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, witnesses said protesters toppled a statue of Assad's father, the late leader Hafez al-Assad.
AFPTV images from Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, showed abandoned tanks and other armoured vehicles, one of them on fire.
Hama resident Kharfan Mansour said he was "happy with the liberation of Hama and the liberation of Syria from the Assad regime".
Soldiers 'fled' to Iraq
The Observatory said on Saturday government forces had lost control of all southern Daraa province, the cradle of the 2011 uprising.
The army said it was "redeploying and repositioning" in Daraa and another southern province, Suwayda.
The Observatory also said troops were also evacuating posts in Quneitra, near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
Jordan has urged its citizens to leave neighbouring Syria "as soon as possible", as have the United States and Assad ally Russia, which both keep troops in Syria.
An AFP correspondent in Daraa saw local fighters guarding public property and civil institutions.
In Suwayda, a local fighter told AFP that after government forces withdrew "from their positions and headquarters, we are now securing and protecting vital facilities".
An Iraqi security source told AFP that Baghdad has allowed in hundreds of Syrian soldiers, who "fled the front lines", through the Al-Qaim border crossing. A second source put the figure at 2,000 troops, including officers.
'War, blood and tears'
HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda. Proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Western governments, it has sought to soften its image in recent years, and told minority groups living in areas they now control not to worry.
Since the offensive began, at least 826 people, mostly combatants but also including 111 civilians, have been killed, the Observatory said.
The United Nations said the violence has displaced 370,000 people.
UN special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for "urgent political talks" to implement a 2015 Security Council resolution, which set out a roadmap for a negotiated settlement.
US President-elect Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the United States should "not get involved", after outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Friday for a "political solution to the conflict", in a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
After Fidan and his Iranian and Russian counterparts discussed Syria in Qatar on Saturday, Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said they agreed on the initiation of "political dialogue between the Syrian government and legitimate opposition groups".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was "inadmissible" to allow a "terrorist group to take control" of Syrian territory.
Moscow and Tehran have supported Assad's government and army during the war.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government backs some armed groups in northern Syria, said Saturday that Syria "is tired of war, blood and tears".
Syrian PM says ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people
The Syrian premier said he was ready to cooperate with any new leadership in the country, as Jolani prohibited people from approaching state institutions.
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
08 December, 2024
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions have pressed a lightning offensive since November 27 [AFP/Getty]
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said Sunday he was ready to "cooperate" with any leadership chosen by the people, after rebels said "tyrant" President Bashar al-Assad had fled the country.
The leader of the Islamist Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, ordered forces not to approach official institutions in Damascus, saying they would remain under the prime minister until they were "officially" handed over.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions have pressed a lightning offensive since November 27, sweeping swathes of the country from regime control, including major cities Aleppo, Hama and Homs.
Provinces in the country's south and east have also fallen from the hands of the regime after local fighters seized control and Assad's forces withdrew.
The rebels said early Sunday that "the tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled" and declared "the city of Damascus free".
"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 rebels said on Telegram.
In a speech broadcast on his Facebook account, premier Jalali said "this country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbours and the world".
"But this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with it (that leadership) and offer all possible facilities," he added.
Jalali said he was "ready for any handover procedures".
Rebel leader Jolani said in a statement on Telegram: "To all military forces in the city of Damascus, it is strictly forbidden to approach public institutions, which will remain under the supervision of the former prime minister until they are officially handed over."
"It is forbidden to shoot into the air," added Jolani, who has started using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa instead of his nom de guerre.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, said "Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left" the facility.
The Syrian premier said he was ready to cooperate with any new leadership in the country, as Jolani prohibited people from approaching state institutions.
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
08 December, 2024
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions have pressed a lightning offensive since November 27 [AFP/Getty]
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said Sunday he was ready to "cooperate" with any leadership chosen by the people, after rebels said "tyrant" President Bashar al-Assad had fled the country.
The leader of the Islamist Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, ordered forces not to approach official institutions in Damascus, saying they would remain under the prime minister until they were "officially" handed over.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions have pressed a lightning offensive since November 27, sweeping swathes of the country from regime control, including major cities Aleppo, Hama and Homs.
Provinces in the country's south and east have also fallen from the hands of the regime after local fighters seized control and Assad's forces withdrew.
The rebels said early Sunday that "the tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled" and declared "the city of Damascus free".
"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 rebels said on Telegram.
In a speech broadcast on his Facebook account, premier Jalali said "this country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbours and the world".
"But this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with it (that leadership) and offer all possible facilities," he added.
Jalali said he was "ready for any handover procedures".
Rebel leader Jolani said in a statement on Telegram: "To all military forces in the city of Damascus, it is strictly forbidden to approach public institutions, which will remain under the supervision of the former prime minister until they are officially handed over."
"It is forbidden to shoot into the air," added Jolani, who has started using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa instead of his nom de guerre.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, said "Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left" the facility.
'Syrian Free Army' take control of Palmyra as regime forces fall back
The group took control of the ancient city after sweeping through previously regime-held areas in Homs's eastern countryside.
The New Arab Staff
07 December, 2024
Anti-regime forces have made significant gains in a lightning offensive launched in late November [Getty]
The US-backed Syrian Free Army has taken control of the city of Palmyra in eastern Homs province, following clashes with Syrian regime forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
The group took control of the ancient city after sweeping through previously regime-held areas in Homs's eastern countryside.
The Syrian Free Army also now controls the town of Al-Sukhnah, situated between Deir ez-Zor and Homs, and Al-Qaryatayn village.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that regime forces had abandoned their positions at the key T-4 airbase near Palmyra.
The capture of Palmyra, which was previously held by the Islamic State group and later re-taken by the Syrian regime, comes amid a lightning offensive by Syrian opposition groups against the Damascus-based regime which began on 27 November.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group captured the key northern city of Aleppo in an offensive between 27-30 November, leading to the collapse of regime control in several other areas of the coutnry.
The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) on 1 December launched 'Operation Dawn of Freedom' against Syrian regime forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Aleppo governorate.
Rebel forces captured the city of Hama, dubbed the 'capital of the revolution' on Thursday, and have now made advances on the city of Homs and the capital Damascus.
Syria's interior minister told state TV that security forces had imposed an impenetrable cordon around Damascus on Saturday, as fighters opposing the government said they were nearing the capital.
"There is a very strong security and military cordon on the far edges of Damascus and its countryside, and no one... can penetrate this defensive line that we, the armed forces, are building," Interior Minister Mohammed al-Rahmoun told state TV from Damascus.
The reigniting of Syria's war comes more than a decade after protests broke out in the country demanding that Assad step down.
The Syrian leader brutally suppressed the uprising, leading to a protracted civil war in the country.
After initial gains by rebel groups, the Syrian regime clawed back areas of the country with backing from Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
The group took control of the ancient city after sweeping through previously regime-held areas in Homs's eastern countryside.
The New Arab Staff
07 December, 2024
Anti-regime forces have made significant gains in a lightning offensive launched in late November [Getty]
The US-backed Syrian Free Army has taken control of the city of Palmyra in eastern Homs province, following clashes with Syrian regime forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
The group took control of the ancient city after sweeping through previously regime-held areas in Homs's eastern countryside.
The Syrian Free Army also now controls the town of Al-Sukhnah, situated between Deir ez-Zor and Homs, and Al-Qaryatayn village.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that regime forces had abandoned their positions at the key T-4 airbase near Palmyra.
The capture of Palmyra, which was previously held by the Islamic State group and later re-taken by the Syrian regime, comes amid a lightning offensive by Syrian opposition groups against the Damascus-based regime which began on 27 November.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group captured the key northern city of Aleppo in an offensive between 27-30 November, leading to the collapse of regime control in several other areas of the coutnry.
The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) on 1 December launched 'Operation Dawn of Freedom' against Syrian regime forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Aleppo governorate.
Rebel forces captured the city of Hama, dubbed the 'capital of the revolution' on Thursday, and have now made advances on the city of Homs and the capital Damascus.
Syria's interior minister told state TV that security forces had imposed an impenetrable cordon around Damascus on Saturday, as fighters opposing the government said they were nearing the capital.
"There is a very strong security and military cordon on the far edges of Damascus and its countryside, and no one... can penetrate this defensive line that we, the armed forces, are building," Interior Minister Mohammed al-Rahmoun told state TV from Damascus.
The reigniting of Syria's war comes more than a decade after protests broke out in the country demanding that Assad step down.
The Syrian leader brutally suppressed the uprising, leading to a protracted civil war in the country.
After initial gains by rebel groups, the Syrian regime clawed back areas of the country with backing from Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
The fall of Bashar Assad after 14 years of war in Syria brings to an end a decades-long dynasty
FILE - Syrian President Bashar Assad looks on at his country’s flag at the opening of the 16th ordinary session of Arab Summit in Tunis, May 22, 2004. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
FILE - Syrian President Bashar Assad reviews the presidential guard during the welcoming ceremony in Athens, Dec. 15, 2003. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
FILE - President-elect Lt. Gen. Bashar al Assad, right, attends military training games with Ali Aslan, Chief of Staff of the Syrian army, July 12, 2000, in Syria. (SANA via AP, File)
Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks at a press conference in Cairo, Oct. 2, 2000. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
BY ZEINA KARAM AND ABBY SEWELL
Updated 11:11 PM MST, December 7, 2024
BEIRUT (AP) — The fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government Sunday brought to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto power as his country fragmented amid a brutal civil war that became a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers.
Assad’s downfall came as a stark contrast to his first months as Syria’s unlikely president in 2000, when many hoped he would be a young reformer after three decades of his father’s iron grip. Only 34 years old, the Western-educated ophthalmologist was a rather geeky tech-savvy fan of computers with a gentle demeanor.
But when faced with protests against his rule that erupted in March 2011, Assad turned to the brutal tactics of his father in an attempt to crush them. As the uprising hemorrhaged into an outright civil war, he unleashed his military to blast opposition-held cities, with support from allies Iran and Russia.
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International rights groups and prosecutors alleged widespread use of torture and extrajudicial executions in Syria’s government-run detention centers.
The Syrian war has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. As the uprising spiraled into a civil war, millions of Syrians fled across the borders into Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon and on to Europe.
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His departure brings an end to the Assad family rule, spanning just under 54 years. With no clear successor, it throws the country into further uncertainty.
Until recently, it seemed that Assad was almost out of the woods. The long-running conflict had settled along frozen conflict lines in recent years, with Assad’s government regaining control of most of Syria’s territory while the northwest remained under the control of opposition groups and the northeast under Kurdish control.
While Damascus remained under crippling Western sanctions, neighboring countries had begun to resign themselves to Assad’s continued hold on power. The Arab League reinstated Syria’s membership last year, and Saudi Arabia in May announced the appointment of its first ambassador to Syria since severing ties with Damascus 12 years earlier.
However, the geopolitical tide turned quickly with a surprise offensive launched by opposition groups based in northwest Syria in late November. Government forces quickly collapsed, while Assad’s allies, preoccupied by other conflicts — including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the yearlong wars between Israel and the Iran-backed militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas — appeared reluctant to forcefully intervene.
Assad’s whereabouts were not clear Sunday, amid reports he had left the country as insurgents took control of the Syrian capital.
He came to power in 2000 by a twist of fate. His father had been cultivating Bashar’s oldest brother Basil as his successor, but in 1994 Basil was killed in a car crash in Damascus. Bashar was brought home from his ophthalmology practice in London, put through military training and elevated to the rank of colonel to establish his credentials so he could one day rule.
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When Hafez Assad died in 2000, parliament quickly lowered the presidential age requirement from 40 to 34. Bashar’s elevation was sealed by a nationwide referendum, in which he was the only candidate.
Hafez, a lifelong military man, ruled the country for nearly 30 years during which he set up a Soviet-style centralized economy and kept such a stifling hand over dissent that Syrians feared even to joke about politics to their friends.
He pursued a secular ideology that sought to bury sectarian differences under Arab nationalism and the image of heroic resistance to Israel. He formed an alliance with the Shiite clerical leadership in Iran, sealed Syrian domination over Lebanon and set up a network of Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups.
Bashar initially seemed completely unlike his strongman father.
Tall and lanky with a slight lisp, he had a quiet, gentle demeanor. His only official position before becoming president was head of the Syrian Computer Society. His wife, Asma al-Akhras, whom he married several months after taking office, was attractive, stylish and British-born.
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The young couple, who eventually had three children, seemed to shun trappings of power. They lived in an apartment in the upscale Abu Rummaneh district of Damascus, as opposed to a palatial mansion like other Arab leaders.
Initially upon coming to office, Assad freed political prisoners and allowed more open discourse. In the “Damascus Spring,” salons for intellectuals emerged where Syrians could discuss art, culture and politics to a degree impossible under his father.
But after 1,000 intellectuals signed a public petition calling for multiparty democracy and greater freedoms in 2001 and others tried to form a political party, the salons were snuffed out by the feared secret police who jailed dozens of activists.
Instead of a political opening, Assad turned to economic reforms. He slowly lifted economic restrictions, let in foreign banks, threw the doors open to imports and empowered the private sector. Damascus and other cities long mired in drabness saw a flourishing of shopping malls, new restaurants and consumer goods. Tourism swelled.
Abroad, he stuck to the line his father had set, based on the alliance with Iran and a policy of insisting on a full return of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, although in practice Assad never militarily confronted Israel.
In 2005, he suffered a heavy blow with the loss of Syria’s decades-old control over neighboring Lebanon after the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. With many Lebanese accusing Damascus of being behind the slaying, Syria was forced to withdraw its troops from the country and a pro-American government came into power.
At the same time, the Arab world became split into two camps - one of U.S.-allied, Sunni-led countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the other Syria and Shiite-led Iran with their ties to Hezbollah and Palestinian militants.
Throughout, Assad relied for largely on the same power base at home as his father: his Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam comprising around 10 percent of the population. Many of the positions in his government went to younger generations of the same families that had worked for his father. Drawn in as well were the new middle class created by his reforms, including prominent Sunni merchant families.
Assad also turned to his own family. His younger brother Maher headed the elite Presidential Guard and would lead the crackdown against the uprising. Their sister Bushra was a strong voice in his inner circle, along with her husband Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, until he was killed in a 2012 bombing. Bashar’s cousin, Rami Makhlouf, became the country’s biggest businessman, heading a financial empire before the two had a falling out that led to Makhlouf being pushed aside.
Assad also increasingly entrusted key roles to his wife, Asma, before she announced in May that she was undergoing treatment for leukemia and stepped out of the limelight.
When protests erupted in Tunisa and Egypt, eventually toppling their rulers, Assad dismissed the possibility of the same occurring in his country, insisting his regime was more in tune with its people. After the Arab Spring wave did move to Syria, his security forces staged a brutal crackdown while Assad consistently denied he was facing a popular revolt, instead blaming “foreign-backed terrorists” trying to destabilize his regime.
His rhetoric struck a chord with many in Syria’s minority groups - including Christians, Druze and Shiites - as well as some Sunnis who feared the prospect of rule by Sunni extremists even more than they disliked Assad’s authoritarian rule.
Ironically, on Feb. 26, 2011, two days after the fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak to protesters and just before the wave of Arab Spring protests swept into Syria — in an email released by Wikileaks as part of a cache in 2012 — Assad e-mailed a joke he’d run across mocking the Egyptian leader’s stubborn refusal to step down.
“NEW WORD ADDED TO DICTIONARY: Mubarak (verb): To stick something, or to glue something. ... Mubarak (adjective): slow to learn or understand,” it read.
ABBY SEWELL
Sewell is the Associated Press news director for Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. She joined the AP in 2022 but has been based in the region since 2016, reporting and guiding coverage on some of its most significant news stories.
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Opposition fighters reportedly drive Syrian leader from the country. Who are they and what now?
Syrian opposition fighters drive past a damaged government vehicle south of Hama, Syria, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
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Syrian opposition fighters ride along the streets in the aftermath of the opposition’s takeover of Hama, Syria, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Residents leave the city carrying their belongings in the aftermath of the opposition’s takeover of Hama, Syria, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
BY CARA ANNA
A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces have started carrying out the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus.
And Syrian troops withdrew Saturday from much of the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, according to a pro-government outlet and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. If that city is captured, the link would be cut between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where he enjoys wide support.
“Homs to the coastal cities will be a very huge red line politically and socially. Politically, if this line is crossed, then we are talking about the end of the entire Syria, the one that we knew in the past,” said a Damascus resident, Anas Joudeh.
Assad appears to be largely on his own as allies Russia and Iran are distracted by other conflicts and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah has been weakened by its war with Israel, now under a fragile ceasefire.
The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, seeks urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition,” saying the situation is changing by the minute. He met with foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran on the sidelines of the Doha Summit.
___
Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.
CARA ANNA
Anna is an editor on the AP’s Global Desk. She has reported from Africa, China, Ukraine, Afghanistan and the United Nations.
Syrian opposition fighters drive past a damaged government vehicle south of Hama, Syria, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
3 of 4 |
Syrian opposition fighters ride along the streets in the aftermath of the opposition’s takeover of Hama, Syria, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Residents leave the city carrying their belongings in the aftermath of the opposition’s takeover of Hama, Syria, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
BY CARA ANNA
Updated 10:03 PM MST, December 7, 202
Syria’s government appears to have fallen after opposition fighters said they entered Damascus following a stunning advance.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.
“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
A Syrian opposition war monitor, Rami Abdurrahman, said Assad left the country on a flight from Damascus early Sunday. Jalili did not address reports of Assad’s departure.
Opposition fighters entered Syria’s capital in a swiftly developing crisis that has taken much of the world by surprise. Syria’s army has abandoned key cities with little resistance. Who are these opposition fighters? If they take control of Damascus after seizing some of Syria’s largest cities, what then?
Here is a look at the stunning reversal of fortune for Assad and the government in just the past 10 days, and what might lie ahead as Syria’s 13-year civil war reignites.
The aim? Overthrow the government
This is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when the country’s troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege.
The approaching fighters are led by the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Both have been entrenched in the northwest. They launched the shock offensive on Nov. 27 with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest.
The HTS has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. But the group said in recent years it cut ties with al-Qaida, and experts say HTS has sought to remake itself in recent years by focusing on promoting civilian government in their territory as well as military action.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government.
Possible rifts ahead
The HTS and Syrian National Army have been allies at times and rivals at times, and their aims might diverge.
The Turkish-backed militias also have an interest in creating a buffer zone near the Turkish border to keep away Kurdish militants at odds with Ankara. Turkey has been a main backer of the fighters seeking to overthrow Assad but more recently has urged reconciliation, and Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement in the current offensive.
Whether the HTS and the Syrian National Army will work together if they succeed in overthrowing Assad or turn on each other again is a major question.
Others take advantage
While the flash offensive against Syria’s government began in the north, armed opposition groups have also mobilized elsewhere.
The southern areas of Sweida and Daraa have both been taken locally. Sweida is the heartland of Syria’s Druze religious minority and had been the site of regular anti-government protests even after Assad seemingly consolidated his control over the area.
Daraa is a Sunni Muslim area that was widely seen as the cradle of the uprising against Assad’s rule that erupted in 2011. Daraa was recaptured by Syrian government troops in 2018, but rebels remained in some areas. In recent years, Daraa was in a state of uneasy quiet under a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal.
And much of Syria’s east is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group backed by the United States that in the past has clashed with most other armed groups in the country.
Syria’s government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus.
Syria’s government appears to have fallen after opposition fighters said they entered Damascus following a stunning advance.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.
“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
A Syrian opposition war monitor, Rami Abdurrahman, said Assad left the country on a flight from Damascus early Sunday. Jalili did not address reports of Assad’s departure.
Opposition fighters entered Syria’s capital in a swiftly developing crisis that has taken much of the world by surprise. Syria’s army has abandoned key cities with little resistance. Who are these opposition fighters? If they take control of Damascus after seizing some of Syria’s largest cities, what then?
Here is a look at the stunning reversal of fortune for Assad and the government in just the past 10 days, and what might lie ahead as Syria’s 13-year civil war reignites.
The aim? Overthrow the government
This is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when the country’s troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege.
The approaching fighters are led by the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Both have been entrenched in the northwest. They launched the shock offensive on Nov. 27 with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest.
The HTS has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. But the group said in recent years it cut ties with al-Qaida, and experts say HTS has sought to remake itself in recent years by focusing on promoting civilian government in their territory as well as military action.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government.
Possible rifts ahead
The HTS and Syrian National Army have been allies at times and rivals at times, and their aims might diverge.
The Turkish-backed militias also have an interest in creating a buffer zone near the Turkish border to keep away Kurdish militants at odds with Ankara. Turkey has been a main backer of the fighters seeking to overthrow Assad but more recently has urged reconciliation, and Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement in the current offensive.
Whether the HTS and the Syrian National Army will work together if they succeed in overthrowing Assad or turn on each other again is a major question.
Others take advantage
While the flash offensive against Syria’s government began in the north, armed opposition groups have also mobilized elsewhere.
The southern areas of Sweida and Daraa have both been taken locally. Sweida is the heartland of Syria’s Druze religious minority and had been the site of regular anti-government protests even after Assad seemingly consolidated his control over the area.
Daraa is a Sunni Muslim area that was widely seen as the cradle of the uprising against Assad’s rule that erupted in 2011. Daraa was recaptured by Syrian government troops in 2018, but rebels remained in some areas. In recent years, Daraa was in a state of uneasy quiet under a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal.
And much of Syria’s east is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group backed by the United States that in the past has clashed with most other armed groups in the country.
Syria’s government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus.
What’s next?
A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces have started carrying out the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus.
And Syrian troops withdrew Saturday from much of the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, according to a pro-government outlet and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. If that city is captured, the link would be cut between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where he enjoys wide support.
“Homs to the coastal cities will be a very huge red line politically and socially. Politically, if this line is crossed, then we are talking about the end of the entire Syria, the one that we knew in the past,” said a Damascus resident, Anas Joudeh.
Assad appears to be largely on his own as allies Russia and Iran are distracted by other conflicts and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah has been weakened by its war with Israel, now under a fragile ceasefire.
The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, seeks urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition,” saying the situation is changing by the minute. He met with foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran on the sidelines of the Doha Summit.
___
Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.
CARA ANNA
Anna is an editor on the AP’s Global Desk. She has reported from Africa, China, Ukraine, Afghanistan and the United Nations.
Syrian government falls in stunning end to 50-year rule of Assad family
Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Syrian opposition fighters ride along the streets in the aftermath of the opposition’s takeover of Hama, Syria, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
BY BASSEM MROUE AND ZEINA KARAM
Updated 11:09 PM MST, December 7, 2024Share
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad has been overthrown and all detainees in jails have been set free.
The man who read the statement said the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus, an opposition group, called on all opposition fighters and citizens to preserve state institutions of “the free Syrian state.”
The statement emerged hours after the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said Assad had left the country for an undisclosed location, fleeing ahead of insurgents who said they had entered Damascus following the remarkably swift advance across the country.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government.
“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
He did not address reports that Assad had fled.
Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told The Associated Press that Assad took a flight Sunday from Damascus.
State television in Iran, Assad’s main backer in the years of war in Syria, reported that Assad had left the capital. It cited Qatar’s Al Jazeera news network for the information and did not elaborate.
There was no immediate statement from the Syrian government.
As daylight broke over Damascus, crowds gathered to pray in the city’s mosques and to celebrate in the squares, chanting “God is great.” People also chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked car horns. In some areas, celebratory gunshots rang out.
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Soldiers and police officers left their posts and fled, and looters broke into the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense.
“My feelings are indescribable,” said Omar Daher, a 29-year-old lawyer. “After the fear that he (Assad) and his father made us live in for many years, and the panic and state of terror that I was living in, I can’t believe it.”
Daher said his father was killed by security forces and his brother was in detention, his fate unknown. Assad “is a criminal, a tyrant and a dog,” he said.”
“Damn his soul and the soul of the entire Assad family,” said Ghazal al-Sharif, another reveler in central Damascus. “It is the prayer of every oppressed person and God answered it today. We thought we would never see it, but thank God, we saw it.”
The police headquarters in the capital appeared to be abandoned, its door left ajar with no officers outside. An Associated Press journalist shot footage of an abandoned army checkpoint where uniforms were discarded on the ground under a poster of Assad’s face. Footage broadcast on opposition-linked media showed a tank in one of the capital’s central squares.
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It was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege.
The pro-government Sham FM radio reported that the Damascus airport had been evacuated and all flights halted.
The insurgents also announced they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and “liberated” their prisoners there.
The night before, opposition forces took the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it. The city stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base.
The rebels had already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said rebel control of Homs would be a game-changer.
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The rebels’ moves into Damascus came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters.
The advances in the past week were by far the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad’s government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army.
The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called Saturday for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.”
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In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Lebanese border officials closed the main Masnaa border crossing late Saturday, leaving many stuck waiting.
Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price.
The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution.
Assad’s status
Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus.
He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Separately, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said the Biden administration had no intention of intervening there.
Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation of a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015 and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections.
Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria.
In a statement, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.”
The insurgents’ march
A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus.
HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance.
The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city.
The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011.
Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said.
____
Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Abdulrahman Shaheen and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Abby Sewell in Beirut; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar; and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Syrian opposition fighters ride along the streets in the aftermath of the opposition’s takeover of Hama, Syria, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
BY BASSEM MROUE AND ZEINA KARAM
Updated 11:09 PM MST, December 7, 2024Share
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad has been overthrown and all detainees in jails have been set free.
The man who read the statement said the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus, an opposition group, called on all opposition fighters and citizens to preserve state institutions of “the free Syrian state.”
The statement emerged hours after the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said Assad had left the country for an undisclosed location, fleeing ahead of insurgents who said they had entered Damascus following the remarkably swift advance across the country.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government.
“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
He did not address reports that Assad had fled.
Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told The Associated Press that Assad took a flight Sunday from Damascus.
State television in Iran, Assad’s main backer in the years of war in Syria, reported that Assad had left the capital. It cited Qatar’s Al Jazeera news network for the information and did not elaborate.
There was no immediate statement from the Syrian government.
As daylight broke over Damascus, crowds gathered to pray in the city’s mosques and to celebrate in the squares, chanting “God is great.” People also chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked car horns. In some areas, celebratory gunshots rang out.
ADVERTISEMENT
Soldiers and police officers left their posts and fled, and looters broke into the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense.
“My feelings are indescribable,” said Omar Daher, a 29-year-old lawyer. “After the fear that he (Assad) and his father made us live in for many years, and the panic and state of terror that I was living in, I can’t believe it.”
Daher said his father was killed by security forces and his brother was in detention, his fate unknown. Assad “is a criminal, a tyrant and a dog,” he said.”
“Damn his soul and the soul of the entire Assad family,” said Ghazal al-Sharif, another reveler in central Damascus. “It is the prayer of every oppressed person and God answered it today. We thought we would never see it, but thank God, we saw it.”
The police headquarters in the capital appeared to be abandoned, its door left ajar with no officers outside. An Associated Press journalist shot footage of an abandoned army checkpoint where uniforms were discarded on the ground under a poster of Assad’s face. Footage broadcast on opposition-linked media showed a tank in one of the capital’s central squares.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege.
The pro-government Sham FM radio reported that the Damascus airport had been evacuated and all flights halted.
The insurgents also announced they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and “liberated” their prisoners there.
The night before, opposition forces took the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it. The city stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base.
The rebels had already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said rebel control of Homs would be a game-changer.
ADVERTISEMENT
The rebels’ moves into Damascus came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters.
The advances in the past week were by far the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad’s government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army.
The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called Saturday for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.”
ADVERTISEMENT
In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Lebanese border officials closed the main Masnaa border crossing late Saturday, leaving many stuck waiting.
Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price.
The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution.
Assad’s status
Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus.
He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Separately, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said the Biden administration had no intention of intervening there.
Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation of a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015 and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections.
Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria.
In a statement, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.”
The insurgents’ march
A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus.
HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance.
The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city.
The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011.
Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said.
____
Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Abdulrahman Shaheen and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Abby Sewell in Beirut; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar; and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
Syria latest: Syria’s government has fallen after a lightning offensive by insurgents
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
11:35 PM MST, December 7, 2024
Syria’s government appears to have fallen after opposition fighters said they had entered Damascus following a stunning advance and a Syrian opposition war monitor reported that President Bashar Assad had left the country.
Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group, said Assad took a flight from Damascus and left early Sunday. There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government.
It was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018 when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege.
The night before, opposition forces had taken the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it.
The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too.
Eight key countries gathered with the U.N. special envoy on Syria on the sidelines of the Doha Summit for two hours of discussions Saturday night, and more will follow. The U.N. envoy seeks urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.”
Here’s the Latest:
Head of U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces hails Assad’s fall
BEIRUT — “This change presents an opportunity to build a new Syria based on democracy and justice that secures the rights of all Syrians,” Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces, said in a written statement, praising the fall of the “authoritarian regime in Damascus.”
The Kurdish-led group has a significant presence in northeastern Syria, where they have clashed with the extremist Islamic State group and Turkish-backed militias over the years.
Syrian prime minister says he doesn’t know Assad’s whereabouts
BEIRUT— Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said early Sunday he didn’t know the whereabouts of Bashar Assad and his defense minister.
He told the Saudi television network Al-Arabiyya that they lost communication Saturday night.
A video statement on Syrian state TV says Assad has been overthrown
DAMASCUS —The video statement by a group of men said that President Bashar Assad was overthrown and all prisoners have been set free.
The man who read a statement said the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus is calling on all opposition fighters and citizens to preserve state institutions of “the free Syrian state.”
“Long live the free Syrian state that is to all Syrians and all” their sects and ethnic groups, they said.
Organizations close to Assad start alienating themselves from fallen president
DAMASCUS — Syria’s al-Watan newspaper, historically pro-government, wrote: “We are facing a new page for Syria. We thank God for not shedding more blood. We believe and trust that Syria will be for all Syrians.”
It added that media workers should not be blamed for publishing government statements in the past.
“We only carried out the instructions and published the news they sent us,” it said. “It quickly became clear now that it was false.”
A statement from the Alawite sect — to which Assad belongs and which has formed the core of his base — called on the youth to be “calm, rational and prudent and not to be dragged into what tears apart the unity of our country.”
“We were and still are advocates of peace and advocates of unity,” it said. It called for “the language of reason and dialogue to prevail over all parties in the service of Syria and its great people.”
People celebrate in mosques and squares in Damascus
DAMASCUS — As daylight broke over Damascus for the first time after the fall of the government of Bashar Assad to a shock offensive launched by opposition forces, crowds gathered to pray in the city’s mosques and to celebrate in the squares, chanting: “God is great.”
Soldiers and police officers had left their posts and fled, and looters broke into the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense.
Many of the capital’s residents were in disbelief at the speed with which Assad’s hold on the country had fallen after nearly 14 years of civil war.
“I did not sleep last night and I did not accept to sleep until I heard the news of his fall,” said Mohammed Amer Al-Oulabi, 44, who works in the electricity sector. “From Idlib to Damascus, it only took them (the opposition forces) a few days, thank God. May God bless them, the heroic lions who made us proud.”
Crowds of Syrians gather to celebrate in the central squares of Damascus
DAMASCUS - Crowds of Syrians have gathered to celebrate in the central squares of Damascus, chanting anti-Assad slogans and honking car horns. In some areas, celebratory gunshots rang out.
“My feelings are indescribable,” said Omar Daher, a 29-year-old lawyer. “After the fear that he (Assad) and his father made us live in for many years, and the panic and state of terror that I was living in, I can’t believe it.”
Daher said his father had been killed by security forces and his brother was in detention, his fate unknown. Assad “is a criminal, a tyrant and a dog,” he said.
“Damn his soul and the soul of the entire Assad family,” said Ghazal al-Sharif, another reveler in central Damascus. “It is the prayer of every oppressed person and God answered it today.
— Abdulrahman Shaheen in Damascus.
Leader of Syrian insurgent group prohibits fighters from getting close to state institutions
BEIRUT - The leader of the largest insurgent group in Syria has prohibited his fighters from getting close to state institutions saying they will remain under the supervision of the country’s prime minister at the present time.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, also banned his fighters from opening fire in the air in the capital Damascus.
“Public institutions will remain under the supervision of the prime minister until they are officially handed over,” he said in a statement published on his group’s social media outlets.
Al-Golani’s comments came as Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said he is extending his hand to the opposition adding that he wants to guarantee that state institutions function.
Syria’s government appears to have fallen after lightning offensive by insurgents
DAMASCUS - Syria’s government appears to have fallen in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a lightning offensive by insurgents this week.
The apparent fall came after the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said early Sunday that President Bashar Assad left the country for an undisclosed location, fleeing ahead of insurgents who said they had entered Damascus after a stunning advance across the country.
Rami Abdurrahman told The Associated Press that Assad took a flight from Damascus and left early Sunday.
Then Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.
“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement.
White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners.
Syria’s prime minister is ready to hand over the government to the opposition
DAMASCUS - Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said in a video statement that the government is ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.
“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said.
He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
He did not address reports that President Bashar Assad has left the country.
There was no immediate comment from the United Arab Emirates on Assad’s whereabouts. Assad’s family has extensive real estate holdings in Dubai.
Military command of Syria’s opposition says Damascus is ‘free’ of Bashar Assad’s rule
BEIRUT - The military command of the Syrian opposition says its fighters have entered the capital Damascus claiming that it is “free” of President Bashar Assad’s rule.
The so-called Military Command Administration said Assad had fled without giving further details.
Assad’s departure marks the end of the 54-year of Assad family rule of Syria with an iron fist. His father Hafez Assad came to power in a bloodless coup in 1970 and ruled until his death in 2000. Bashar Assad was elected weeks after his father’s death and ruled Syria until he was overthrown on Sunday.
The command declared the end of “the dark period and the beginning of a new era in Syria.”
State television in Iran, Assad’s main backer in the years of war in Syria, reported that “terrorists” had entered Damascus and that Assad had left the capital. It cited Qatar’s Al Jazeera news network for the information and did not elaborate.
Syrian opposition war monitor says President Bashar Assad has left the country
BEIRUT - The head of a Syrian opposition war monitor says Syria’s President Bashar Assad has left the country for an undisclosed location.
Rami Abdurrahman tells The Associated Press that Assad took a flight from Damascus and left early Sunday.
Abdurrahman’s comments came after the protesters took over the Syrian capital.
An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported seeing groups of armed residents along the road in the outskirts of the capital and hearing sounds of gunshots. The city’s main police headquarters appeared to be abandoned, its door left ajar with no officers outside.
Another AP journalist shot footage of an abandoned army checkpoint, uniforms discarded on the ground under a poster of Assad’s face.
Syrian insurgents say they have entered Damascus as residents report gunfire
Syrian insurgents say they have entered Damascus, capping a stunning advance across the country, as residents of the capital reported sounds of gunfire and explosions.
There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government. The pro-government Sham FM radio reported that Damascus airport was evacuated and the insurgents announced they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and “liberated our prisoners” there.
The night before, opposition forces had taken the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it. The government denied rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country.
The loss of Homs represented a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base.
Biden administration doesn’t intend to intervene in Syria
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser says the Biden administration has no intention of intervening in Syria.
“The United States is not going to ... militarily dive into the middle of a Syrian civil war,” Jake Sullivan said Saturday at an annual gathering of national security officials, defense companies and lawmakers in California.
He said the U.S. would keep acting as necessary to keep the Islamic State group — a violently anti-Western extremist group not known to be involved in the offensive but with sleeper cells in Syria’s deserts — from exploiting openings presented by the fighting.
Syrian President Bashar Assad’s backers — Iran, Russia and Hezbollah, “have all been weakened and distracted,” Sullivan said. He later added that “none of them are prepared to provide the kind of support to Assad that they provided in the past.”
The Biden administration says Syrian opposition forces’ capture of government-held cities demonstrates just how diminished those countries are by wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon.
Syrian insurgents say they have taken over key city of Homs
The Syrian insurgency announced Saturday that it has taken over Homs, following reports of government forces withdrawing from the strategic city.
This latest development in the fighters’ swift shock offensive in the war-torn country has left embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad effectively in control of the capital Damascus and two other cities where his key support base among the Alawite Muslim population are based.
Homs is an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces that are the Syrian leader’s base of support.
Syrian opposition fighters have reached the suburbs of the capital, Damascus as the fighters’ offensive picks up speed. President Bashar Assad’s whereabouts are unknown.
Mother of hostage seen in video says ‘enough with the games’
The mother of an Israeli man held hostage in Gaza and seen in a newly released video by Hamas says “enough with the games” and calls for more pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Einav Zangauker told a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night that like her son Matan, “there are a few dozen who are currently alive. Don’t allow them to be brought back dead in bags. Take to the streets.”
Matan Zangauker, speaking under duress, appealed to the public to protest in front of Netanyahu’s home and “not let him sleep even for a minute.” Zangauker also referred to 420 days of being held by Hamas militants and said “isolation is killing us.”
Police used a water cannon on the demonstrators as thousands took to the streets for the weekly anti-government protests.
Iran-backed militias watch Syria events before a decision on support
Two officials with Iran-backed Iraqi militias in Syria say the militias are monitoring the situation and have not made a decision to enter in support of Iran’s ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad.
One of the officials said Iranian militias had withdrawn to Iraq from their positions in Syria.
“All the militias are waiting to see what Bashar Assad will do in Damascus. If he resists and does not allow Damascus to fall, it is possible that the Iraqi factions will intervene for the purpose of support,” he said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
-- Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad
Multi-country talks on Syria end, with more to come
Multi-country discussions on Syria have ended on the sidelines of the Doha Summit. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says the countries will issue a statement, and there will be follow-up talks “taking into consideration the practical and real situation on the ground.”
He said the talks, which lasted over two hours Saturday evening, focused on how to stop the fighting. Eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran gathered with the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen.
When asked where Syrian President Bashar Assad is, Iraq’s foreign minister replied, “I don’t know.” He declined to speculate on whether Assad would be overthrown. Opposition fighters have reached the Damascus suburbs.
About 2,000 Syrian soldiers cross into Iraq, official says
BAGHDAD — An Iraqi government spokesperson says about 2,000 Syrian army soldiers have crossed into Iraq seeking refuge as opposition forces advance in Syria.
Bassem al-Awadi said the soldiers’ equipment and weapons were registered and taken into custody by the Iraqi army. “We dealt with them according to the principle of good neighborliness and humanity,” he said Saturday.
Al-Awadi also said Iraqi officials are concerned about the security of the al-Hol camp and other facilities in northeast Syria where suspected Islamic State group members and their families are detained. The facilities are guarded by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.
Al-Awadi said there is “high security coordination” between Iraqi officials and those forces to “prevent the prisoners from escaping.”
Syria’s army fortifies positions in Damascus suburbs
Syria’s army says it is fortifying its positions in the suburbs of Damascus and in the country’s south, as opposition fighters close in on the capital.
The army statement on Saturday also asserted that Syria is being subjected to a “terrorist” and propaganda campaign aiming to destabilize and spread chaos.
The statement also said the military is continuing with operations in areas including the central provinces of Hama and Homs, and that it has killed and wounded hundreds of opposition fighters.
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