Syrian rebels declared they had ousted President Bashar al-Assad after seizing control of Damascus on Sunday, forcing him to flee and ending his family’s decades of autocratic rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East.
The Islamist rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria in the heart of the region – allies who had propped up Assad during critical periods in the conflict.
The rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments. Thousands of people 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.
People were seen walking inside the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, with some leaving carrying furniture from inside. The rebels said prisoners had been freed from a large jail on the outskirts of Damascus where the Syrian government detained thousands.
“We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains,” the rebels said.
Leading rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani said there was no room for turning back and the group was determined to continue the path they started in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings.
“The future is ours,” he said in a statement read on Syria’s state TV after his forces took over Damascus.
French President Emmanuel Macron said “the barbaric state has fallen” and paid tribute to the Syrian people.
When the celebrations fade, Syria’s new leaders will face the daunting task of trying to deliver stability to a diverse country with competing factions that will need billions of dollars in aid and investments to rebuild.
One possible challenge could be a resurgence of Islamic State militants.
During its prime, the group imposed a reign of terror in large swathes of Syria and Iraq and directed external operations before it was defeated by a U.S.-led coalition.
Underscoring the lightning changes, Iran’s embassy was stormed by Syrian rebels, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Lebanese-based Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad for years, withdrew all of its forces from Syria on Saturday as rebel factions approached Damascus, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters on Sunday.
Assad, who had not spoken in public since the sudden rebel advance a week ago, flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters.
His whereabouts now – and those of his wife Asma and their two children – were unknown. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Assad had left office and departed the country after giving orders there be a peaceful handover of power.
The Syrian rebel coalition said it was continuing work to complete the transfer of power in the country to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.
“The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people,” it added in a statement.
As Syrians expressed joy, Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali called for free elections.
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