JERUSALEM (VINnews/JNS) — Syrian President Bashar Assad has fled the country after a coalition of rebel groups stormed Damascus, ending his family’s five-decade rule over the Arab Republic, Reuters reported on Sunday morning.
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Syria’s army command notified officers on Sunday that the regime had fallen, an officer who was informed of the move told the press agency.
A Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus International Airport as the capital was being taken by the rebels. Reuters said it could not immediately ascertain the destination or who was on board.
Rebel fighters declared the capital “liberated” in a televised statement carried on state television on Sunday. “Damascus has been liberated, and the tyrant Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown,” a spokesman stated, adding that “prisoners in regime prisons have been released.”
“We ask people and fighters to protect all property in Free Syria,” added the rebel spokesman. “Long live Syria free for all Syrians of all sects.”
Footage verified by CNN showed rebel fighters entering the presidential palace in Damascus on Sunday morning, firing in the air in celebration.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Saturday Assad had been largely abandoned by his key allies, Russia and Iran.
Assad’s brutal and repressive reign left his government vulnerable and the people of Syria “fed up,” said Sullivan. At the same time, the wars in Ukraine and Lebanon had robbed Assad of his allies’ backing, he added.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Assad remained in the country, though Egypt and Jordan had urged the dictator, who took over from his father in 2000, to flee and announce a government in exile.
Syria’s Arab Socialist Baath Party came to power in a 1963 coup. In 1970, Hafez Assad seized power in an internal party coup. Following his father’s death in 2000, Bashar Assad inherited control of the regime.
After the Syrian president in August 2013 launched a chemical attack on his own citizens, killing more than 1,000, then-U.S. President Barack Obama failed to enforce a “red line” set the year prior. The government in Damascus proceeded to gas thousands of Syrian civilians to death.
Government resistance appeared to be crumbling elsewhere as well on Friday, with U.S.-backed Kurds taking the city of Deir al-Zour in the east and rebel uprisings around Daraa province near the border with Israel.
On Nov. 30, opposition forces stormed the Iranian consulate in Aleppo as part of their advance into the city, Tehran’s Foreign Ministry said at the time, after footage on social media showed fighters in the building.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed late last month that the surprise offensive was part of “a plot by the Israeli regime and the U.S. to undermine regional security,” Iran’s IRNA broadcaster reported.
Syrian experts told Fox News on Sunday that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seeks to impose a “Talibanesque society with a few tweaks.”
For all those celebrating, can you name me any time that the violent overthrow of a dictator in the Middle East has resulted in stability and moderation? What follows is usually far worse. A new, unknown regime, or worse total anarchy, directly on the border of Eretz Yisroel is a worrisome thing indeed. Hashem should protect us all.
Nobody should be celebrating the fall of this tyrant . Its simply replacing one group of savages with an equally brutal group of savages
It is fascinating to see, how Hashem orchestrates the end of many wicked people on this earth. To us all this is turmoil . But we are witnessing the geulah in motion.
we don’t know if it is better or worse, but we know of the fulfuillment of the statement “Baavod reshaim rina” when the wicked are destroyed there is happiness.
Oy vey what’s happening is this good is this bad.. let’s be honest only Hashem know..
Assad is attempting to reach Ali Khamenei, as he’s quoted as saying when rebels stormed Damascus “I ran, I ran, I ran”.
Israel may need to speed up production of beepers and walkie talkies, wink wink.
Iran Embassy in Damascus stormed and looted! Maybe Russian next.
good news 4 the jews
Butcher Assad ousted from Syria with limited civilian casualties. Prisons filled with hostages, victims of the Assad criminals freed. Millions of Syrian refugees ( 6 million) begin to return home. Huge blow to Russia, Iran, hamas, hez. BBC reports Israel blasting Hez convoy running back to failed Arab state Lebanon and other Ran assets in Syria. Damascus calm. Isral neutral. Assad supporters (Alawite Sect) and PLO there in fear.
The rebels hired Sharia Twain to sing their new anthem.
The sources for all this news are unreliable or biased. Can you trust any mid-East reporting from the BBC, the UN, AP, CNN, NYT, etc? We can only wait for some reliable source of news from there.
The answer is clearly the help Israel extended the terrorists to tame them
By giving them medical care and airstrikes they beat Russia and Iran but America helped but at least now Iran isn’t able to strike on land from Syrian border making Israel’s border less scary
The Hamas is Sunni and also supported by Qatar , let that sink in. Ideally Israel or a true ally should control the territory around its borders.
There may be some wider conspiracy between USA Israel and Russia Ukraine here wherein the Russians leave Syria to make it Sunni so the USA abandons Ukraine and it loses the territory that Russia took over so far.
Assad prisons and torture chambers liberated, one known as “the slaughterhouse” where 11,000+ were executed since 2015. It held up to 20,000 now, w daily torture, no food, total silece, run by Russian trained guards. “Free the captive” the Tanach says…