"End of a dark era" Insurgents take control of Damascus - Assad flees
An insurgent poses on December 8 with the head of a toppled statue of Hafiz al-Assad, the long-time ruler and father of the now fugitive dictator Bashar. Early on Sunday morning, an alliance of various rebel groups announced the capture of the Syrian capital Damascus. By then, Assad had apparently already fled the country.
Image: KEYSTONE
Opposition fighters celebrate the overthrow in Damascus on December 8. This day marked "a new chapter" for the Syrian nation, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement after the president fled.
Image: KEYSTONE
Rebels pose in front of a military court in Damascus on December 8. They had previously set it on fire. However, the change of power in Syria and the capture of the capital apparently took place for the most part without any major fighting. The rebel alliance had previously announced that it would protect all "property of the Syrian people" and called on its fighters to stay away from government facilities.
Image: KEYSTONE
A man celebrates the overthrow in Damascus wrapped in a revolutionary flag. This shows three red stars on a green-white-black background in contrast to the - until now - official red-white-black national flag with two green stars, which is hated throughout the country as a symbol of the Assad clan's long-term rule.
Image: KEYSTONE
Many citizens of the capital took part in car parades to celebrate the end of decades of tyranny in Syria.
Image: KEYSTONE
Plumes of smoke over Damascus on December 08, 2024.
Image: Ghaith Alsayed/AP/dpa
An insurgent poses on December 8 with the head of a toppled statue of Hafiz al-Assad, the long-time ruler and father of the now fugitive dictator Bashar. Early on Sunday morning, an alliance of various rebel groups announced the capture of the Syrian capital Damascus. By then, Assad had apparently already fled the country.
Image: KEYSTONE
Opposition fighters celebrate the overthrow in Damascus on December 8. This day marked "a new chapter" for the Syrian nation, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement after the president fled.
Image: KEYSTONE
Rebels pose in front of a military court in Damascus on December 8. They had previously set it on fire. However, the change of power in Syria and the capture of the capital apparently took place for the most part without any major fighting. The rebel alliance had previously announced that it would protect all "property of the Syrian people" and called on its fighters to stay away from government facilities.
Image: KEYSTONE
A man celebrates the overthrow in Damascus wrapped in a revolutionary flag. This shows three red stars on a green-white-black background in contrast to the - until now - official red-white-black national flag with two green stars, which is hated throughout the country as a symbol of the Assad clan's long-term rule.
Image: KEYSTONE
Many citizens of the capital took part in car parades to celebrate the end of decades of tyranny in Syria.
Image: KEYSTONE
Plumes of smoke over Damascus on December 08, 2024.
Image: Ghaith Alsayed/AP/dpa
The rebels in Syria have reportedly taken control of the capital Damascus, heralding the end of more than two decades of rule by ruler Bashar al-Assad.
08.12.2024, 06:28
08.12.2024, 15:28
SDA
Assad left the capital in the early morning with an unknown destination, as the German Press Agency learned, citing Syrian officers in Damascus. Meanwhile, the rebels entered Damascus and announced the liberation of the city from Assad. The rebel alliance announced its intention to take power peacefully.
On November 27, the civil war in Syria, which began in 2011, suddenly flared up again with the offensive by the Islamist alliance Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Within a short space of time, the insurgents took control of many places, including Aleppo and Hama, largely without a fight. The rebels had only taken the strategically important city of Homs on Saturday. At the same time, various other rebel groups advanced from the south towards Damascus. The rebels are united by the goal of toppling Assad.
According to their leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the rebel alliance wants to take power peacefully. Public institutions in Damascus "will remain under the supervision of the former prime minister until the official handover", al-Julani announced on social media. Military forces are strictly forbidden from approaching these facilities and shots may not be fired.
Meanwhile, the state army informed the government soldiers that Assad's time in power had come to an end. The army command has thus decommissioned the soldiers, the German Press Agency learned from Syrian military circles. The soldiers were to stay at home and would be called back to duty if necessary.
Rebels: "The end of this dark era"
After Assad fled, the rebel alliance also announced the fall of his government. "The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled," the rebels announced on social media. "We announce that the capital Damascus has been liberated (from him)." December 8 marked "the end of this dark era" of oppression under Assad and his father Hafiz al-Assad, who ruled the country for more than 50 years.
"This is the moment that the displaced people and the detainees have been waiting for, the moment of returning home and the moment of freedom after decades of oppression and suffering." Addressing the millions of refugees displaced by the civil war, the rebels declared: "To the displaced people worldwide, a free Syria awaits you."
Prime Minister wants to cooperate
According to Syria's Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali, he remained in the country and wants to cooperate in the event of a change of power. "We are ready to hand over (power) to the elected leadership," said al-Jalali in a video message, which he said he recorded at his home. This leadership must be decided by the people. "We are ready to cooperate even with the opposition."
He called on citizens to cooperate in the ongoing developments and not to damage public property. Syria could be a "normal state" with friendly relations with its neighbors. He himself has no interest in any political office or other privileges. "We believe that Syria belongs to all Syrians."
Cheers broke out in the center of Damascus after Assad's escape. Residents clapped in the street and some were seen praying, as eyewitnesses reported. Videos of residents climbing onto a tank and chanting solemnly made the rounds on social networks. In the metropolis of Istanbul in neighboring Turkey, where more than three million Syrians live, there were also videos of people cheering and chanting during the night. Some set off fireworks there.
Leading opposition figure Hadi al-Bahra declared that Damascus was free without Assad. He congratulated the Syrian people and the prisoners who would now be released.
Loud explosions in Damascus
The insurgents had launched their offensive on Damascus early on Sunday morning. A dpa correspondent on the ground reported loud explosions and heavy machine-gun fire. According to eyewitness reports, soldiers from the presidential guard left the capital. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel-Rahman, said that security personnel and the army had withdrawn from Damascus International Airport. The rebels also reportedly broke into a notorious prison and freed prisoners.
Residents in Damascus are reportedly afraid of the arrival of the rebels. Many families have already left their homes and traveled to Lebanon, according to well-informed sources.
Various media outlets had previously reported that Syrian soldiers were leaving the country in droves. Iraq has taken in more than 1,000 soldiers from the neighboring country, the state news agency INA reported. The Qatari news channel Al-Jazeera quoted an Iraqi government spokesperson as saying that as many as 2,000 Syrian soldiers had already arrived in Iraq with full equipment.
The capture of Homs is seen as a turning point
The capture of Homs by the rebels on Saturday was seen as a decisive turning point: Syria's third-largest city is located between Aleppo in the north and Damascus in the south. It is also in a strategically important position between the strongholds of Assad's government on the coast and Damascus. Latakia and Tartus, the strongholds of the government forces, are also located on the coast. There is also a Syrian navy base near Tartus, which is also home to a Russian army base. Alongside Iran, Russia is Assad's closest state ally.
The civil war in Syria began in 2011 with protests against the government. The spiral of violence led to a civil war with international involvement, in which Russia, Iran, Turkey and the USA are pursuing their own interests. Around 14 million people have been displaced. According to UN estimates, more than 300,000 civilians have died so far. There was no sign of a political solution until recently.
Assad took power in Syria more than two decades ago at the age of 34 after the death of his father Hafiz al-Assad, who had ruled the country in an authoritarian manner for decades. Initially, Assad, who had studied in England, raised hopes of a new course. However, the initial euphoria of the so-called "Damascus Spring", which briefly allowed for more open discussions, soon gave way to the return of authoritarian repression.
Biden: The extraordinary events are being closely monitored
The White House announced that US President Joe Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and are in constant contact with regional partners. Previously, US President-elect Donald Trump had made it clear that he did not want the US to get involved in the Syrian crisis in any way.
