Damacus: Syrian rebels declared they had ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad after seizing control of Damascus, forcing him to flee the country, which has been ruled by his family with an iron fist since the early 1970s. It marked a dramatic breakthrough for rebel factions in Syria that have been trying to unseat him for more than a decade, much of which was marked by a devastating civil war. In a seismic moment for West Asia, the Islamist rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran - allies who had propped up Assad during critical periods in the war.
Thousands of people in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom” from 50 years of Assad family rule. People were seen walking inside Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, with some leaving carrying furniture from inside. Rebel commander Abu Md al-Golani said there was no room for turning back. “The future is ours,” he said.
The pace of events stunned Arab capitals and raised concerns about a new wave of instability in a region in turmoil.
Assad had fled the capital in a private plane and the Russian state news agencies reported that the president and his family were in Moscow and had been given asylum on “humanitarian grounds”.
Syria erupted into the deadliest war of the 21st century, complicated by the interests of foreign powers, when the Assad regime began a brutal crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy Arab spring protests in 2011. Assad was saved by his Iranian and Russian allies from the advance of rebel forces backed by Qatar and Turkey in 2015, as well as the Lebanese group Hezbollah, forcing the opposition to withdraw to the north-west of the country.
At least 300,000 people have been killed and 100,000 disappeared since 2011. Half the country – about 12 million people – have been displaced from their homes, with about 5.4 million seeking shelter abroad.
