Reports indicate that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled Damascus on a plane, with thousands of Syrians gathering in the city to call for freedom. According to two senior officers from the Syrian army speaking to Reuters, Assad’s departure has occurred amid significant advances made by rebel forces.
A Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time reports surfaced about the capital being overtaken by rebels. Data from the Flightradar website revealed that the aircraft, associated with Assad’s Alawite sect stronghold, made a sudden U-turn shortly after takeoff before disappearing from tracking systems.
The Syrian army has since informed its officers that Assad’s 24-year rule has ended, as revealed by a Syrian officer. Additionally, the prime minister has expressed readiness to transition the government to the opposition peacefully, according to Reuters.
The rebels have prohibited access to public institutions that will remain under the control of the “former prime minister.” Earlier reports confirmed that they had gained complete control of the crucial city of Homs after just one day of fighting.
As the army withdrew, thousands celebrated in Homs, filling the streets with cheers and chants of “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad.” Large gatherings of people in cars and on foot congregated in a main square, demanding freedom.
The international airport in Damascus has been abandoned, and rebels claim to have breached the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital, successfully freeing prisoners. “We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and announcing the end of an era of injustice in Sednaya prison,” the rebels stated.
Gunfire was reported in the center of Damascus, although the source of the shooting remains unclear. Meanwhile, protesters toppled a statue of Assad’s late father in a nearby suburb.
This marks the first time since 2018 that rebels have managed to reach the city, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based opposition war monitor, reporting that insurgents are now actively engaged in several Damascus suburbs, including Maadamiyah, Jaramana, and Daraya.
In addition, rebels are advancing from eastern Syria towards the Harasta suburb of Damascus following a recent surge that saw the capture of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, and Hama.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, a commander from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, labeled the capture of Homs as a historic moment and urged fighters to refrain from harming those who surrender. The rebels have also claimed territories in Deir el Zor in the east, and Suweida, Quneitra, and Deraa in the south.
Credit: Sky News
