In a stunning turn of events, Syrian rebel forces have entered the capital, Damascus, following a week-long blitz that saw little resistance from government forces.
The speed of the rebel advance and the apparent collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime have shocked both locals and international observers.
According to reports from Reuters, President Assad is said to have fled the city, boarding a plane to an undisclosed location as his grip on power evaporates.
The rebels’ entrance into Damascus marks a significant moment in the Syrian civil war. With no signs of the Syrian military in the capital, it appears the government’s forces have either retreated or been defeated.
Rebel groups, including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham faction, which has its roots in Al-Qaeda, wasted no time in declaring victory. The group’s statement proclaimed, "We announce today, 12-8-2024, the end of this dark era and the beginning of a new era for Syria."
The rapid advance of rebel forces, which had already made significant gains across northern Syria in recent months, suggests the end of an era for the Assad regime.
Syrian military and security forces reportedly abandoned key strategic locations, including Damascus International Airport, with the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights citing eyewitness accounts of a city in panic.
Residents poured into public squares to celebrate, some singing and crying as mosques rang with news of Assad’s fall. For many, it marked the end of over a decade of conflict and repression.
Among the most significant actions by the rebels was the seizure of Saydnaya military prison, notorious for its brutal treatment of detainees. Rebel forces released prisoners, a move that symbolised the larger victory over Assad's authoritarian rule.
They celebrated the news, declaring the end of an era of injustice at the prison.
The rebel offensive, which began in earnest with a surprise push into Aleppo in late November, has seen the fall of several key cities. Daraa and Hama were taken within days, further weakening Assad’s position.
These victories, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have been the largest gains by opposition forces in years. On the night before the rebels entered Damascus, they captured Homs, a critical city that sits between the capital and Assad’s coastal strongholds.
These rapid advances have been compounded by the lack of support from Assad’s former allies, a factor that has significantly contributed to his downfall.
Should the rebels fully seize Damascus, Assad would only retain control of two provincial capitals: Latakia and Tartus. This dramatic shift in power would leave his government severely weakened, with little left of the territory it once controlled.
The rebels’ victories, however, are a stark reminder of the ongoing instability in Syria, where years of conflict have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the destruction of entire cities.
Syria has been under the Assad family’s rule for over 50 years, with Bashar al-Assad succeeding his father, Hafez Assad, in 2000. The regime’s violent repression of dissent led to the eruption of protests in 2011, inspired by the broader Arab Spring uprisings.
Assad’s response was swift and brutal, turning what began as protests into a full-scale civil war. The conflict, which has raged for over 13 years, has resulted in the deaths of more than 350,000 people, with countless others imprisoned and tortured.
The Syrian war, however, took a significant turn in 2015 when Russia intervened militarily, providing critical air support that helped Assad regain much of the territory lost to opposition and Islamic State forces.
With the assistance of Russian and Iranian forces, Assad was able to reassert control over several major cities, although large parts of the country, particularly in the north and east, remained beyond his reach.
Follow us
