Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has reportedly fled the country, ending the 50-year family rule. “Syria’s army command has now notified officers that his 24-year rule has ended, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move told Reuters,” Sky News (UK) reports.
Assad has left the country for an undisclosed location as rebel Islamist forces entered the Syrian capital, Damascus, after nearly a week of military offensive. The Iran-backed Syrian Arab Army (SAA) offered little resistance, abandoning key cities to advancing rebels.
“The Syrian government appears to have fallen after a lightning offensive by rebels,” Sky News added.”President Bashar al Assad fled Damascus on a plane for an unknown destination, according to two senior Syrian army officers,” the news outlet added.
Reuters reported early morning Sunday:
Syria’s army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move told Reuters, following a rapid rebel offensive that took the world by surprise.Syrian rebels, who said Damascus was “now free of Assad”, are expected to broadcast their first statement to the Syrian people on state television, two rebel sources said.Assad, who had crushed all forms of dissent, flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom” from a half century of Assad family rule, witnesses said.The dramatic collapse marks a seismic moment for the Middle East, ending the family’s iron-fisted rule over Syria and dealing a massive blow to Russia and Iran, which have lost a key ally at the heart of the region.
Assad’s rule crumbled after Russia and Iran abandoned the Syrian regime they militarily backed since the civil war began in early 2011.
In 2011, the regime “was rescued by his chief international backer, Russia, and longtime regional ally Iran, which along with Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia helped Assad’s forces retake Aleppo, tipping the war firmly in his favor,” the Associated Press noted. “Now, the Syrian leader appears to be largely on his own and may face the end of his 24-year rule.”
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