Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has resigned and fled the nation, in accordance with the Russian international ministry, after a shocking offensive by rebels who seized the capital metropolis of Damascus on Sunday.
Amid scenes of jubilation within the streets, the rebels proclaimed that “town of Damascus is free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad” and that “Assad has fled” after numerous factions encircled the capital from the north and the south.
“The long run is ours,” mentioned Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the chief of the triumphant Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, in a press release learn out on Syrian state tv.
“There isn’t a going again,” Jolani added, referring to the beginning of the revolt greater than a decade in the past.
On Sunday, the international ministry of Russia, a longtime backer of the Assad regime, mentioned the Syrian president had resigned, left the nation, and ordered a peaceable transition of energy after the autumn of Damascus.
The spectacular collapse of the Assad dynasty, which has dominated Syria for 50 years, marked an ignominious finish after a lightning 12-day offensive led by HTS.
The group, which was as soon as an affiliate of al-Qaeda, rocked the nation by seizing Aleppo, Syria’s second metropolis, inside 48 hours after which marching south in direction of the capital.
Regional officers suspect Assad fled to both Russia or the United Arab Emirates, the primary Arab state to re-engage with Damascus after Syria was remoted following the eruption of its civil warfare.
“Assad is gone,” US president-elect Donald Trump posted on his Fact Social community. “Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not inquisitive about defending him any longer.”
In a press release that didn’t point out Assad, the Syrian international ministry marked what it known as “a brand new web page in Syrian historical past” and referred to “a nationwide oath and covenant that may convey all Syrians collectively”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed a “historic day within the annals of the Center East”, as he argued that his nation’s assaults on Iran and the Lebanon-based Hizbollah militant group had set off a “chain response” all through the area.
He added: “We lengthen a hand of peace to our . . . neighbours who wish to dwell in peace with Israel.”
The US, which retains about 900 troops in Syria to help native forces in opposition to Isis, mentioned it maintained “the inherent proper of self-defence and can take obligatory steps to guard our service members deployed to the area”.
The collapse of the Assad regime was met with pleasure in Damascus. On Sunday, close to town’s Umayyad sq., the streets had been suffering from 1000’s of bullet casings — remnants of celebratory gunfire that had not stopped because the morning.
“I can’t consider it. Everyone seems to be on the street, everyone seems to be shouting,” mentioned Abdallah, a Damascus resident. “It’s one thing historic. Nobody has suffered as a lot because the Syrian folks.”
Movies despatched to the Monetary Instances by a Damascus resident confirmed folks contained in the presidential palace, rummaging by means of rooms and smashing footage of the Assad household.
A person wearing civilian clothes appeared on Syrian state TV on Sunday morning declaring that the rebels had “liberated” Damascus and launched detainees from “regime prisons”.
However whereas the information sparked celebrations throughout Syria, it would additionally usher in a interval of giant uncertainty for a nation shattered and fragmented after 13 years of civil warfare, and for the broader area.
The nation borders Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. HTS has been working with Turkish-backed rebels who function underneath the umbrella of the Syrian Nationwide Military.
Nevertheless, Syria is dwelling to myriad factions and the diploma of co-ordination between all of them is unclear.
Turkey’s international minister Hakan Fidan hailed the top of the Assad regime on Sunday, but in addition warned that Ankara was involved that “Isis and different terrorist organisations . . . will benefit from this course of”.
His feedback had been a reference to Kurdish militants backed by the US as a bulwark in opposition to Isis, however seen by Ankara as a menace on its border.
Fidan added that Turkey was in contact with Washington on the problem. “Entry to chemical weapons ought to be blocked,” he mentioned. “The brand new administration ought to unite all of the folks.”
An Arab diplomat mentioned regional powers, together with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Russia and Qatar, had held talks in Doha late on Saturday and agreed to co-ordinate efforts and give attention to stabilising the state of affairs.
As rebels entered the palace in Damascus, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali mentioned he was able to work with any management chosen by the folks and known as for unity.
“We’re able to co-operate and all of the properties of the folks and the establishments of the Syrian state have to be preserved,” he mentioned. “They belong to all Syrians.”
A number of explosions had been heard within the metropolis at about 4:30pm on Sunday, with massive plumes of black smoke rising above it. Not less than a few of the strikes, whose origins had been unknown, hit the Syrian safety advanced, in accordance with Al Jazeera.
There was no official assertion by the Syrian presidency, the navy or state media about Assad or the state of affairs within the nation.
Assad, a London-trained eye physician, had dominated Syria since 2000, when he succeeded his late father Hafez al-Assad. The civil warfare broke out in 2011 after his forces brutally sought to place down a well-liked rebellion.
He managed to cling to energy with the backing of Iran and Russia, which offered very important air energy. His regime had regained management over many of the nation lately.
However he presided over a hollowed-out, bankrupt state and even many amongst his personal Alawite group appeared to have given up on the regime after years of battle and financial hardship.
When HTS mounted its offensive on November 27, regime forces appeared to soften away, whereas Russia, Iran and Hizbollah, the Lebanese militant motion, had been all distracted by their very own conflicts.
“Russia and Iran are in a weakened state proper now, one due to Ukraine and a foul economic system, the opposite due to Israel and its preventing success,” Trump posted, calling for “an instantaneous ceasefire and negotiations” to finish the Ukraine warfare.
The rebels’ success is a humiliating blow to Iran, whose help for Assad had given it a “land bridge” throughout Syria to Lebanon, dwelling to its most vital proxy, Hizbollah.
On Sunday, Iran’s international ministry urged respect for Syria’s “territorial integrity” and known as for “an instantaneous finish to navy conflicts” within the Arab state, in accordance with an official assertion.
It is usually a setback for Russia, which gained entry to air and naval bases on the Mediterranean after intervening within the warfare in 2015.
On Sunday, Russia mentioned its navy bases in Syria had been “on excessive alert”. Moscow mentioned there was “no severe menace to their safety”, however Russian navy bloggers mentioned it was making ready to evacuate its Khmeimim air base and its naval base in Tartus.
John Foreman, a former UK defence attaché in Moscow, mentioned the bases’ loss can be “a serious strategic reversal” for Russia.
He added that with out them it might be “tougher for the Russian navy to keep up a permanent maritime presence within the Mediterranean or Crimson Sea to problem Nato”.
Extra reporting by Max Seddon in Berlin, John Paul Rathbone in London and Neri Zilber in Tel Aviv
Cartography by Steven Bernard
