The advances in the past week are by far the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the United Nations.
Syrian insurgents have said that they have entered the capital Damascus and that long-time president Bashar Al-Assad has fled the country, the culmination of a lightning advance across the country that began in late November.
The insurgent groups, spearheaded by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, also announced they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and “liberated our prisoners” there.
A day before, opposition forces seized control of the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it.
Homs stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian naval base.
The city’s capture was a major victory for the rebels, who had already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, as well as large parts of the south, in an offensive that began on 27 November.
The advances in the past week are by far the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the United Nations.
In their push to overthrow the Assad government, the insurgents, led by HTS, have met little to no resistance from the Syrian army.
Residents in Damascus have rushed to stock up on daily supplies, with thousands making their way to the border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country.
The UN said it was moving non-critical staff outside the country as a precaution.
Assad’s status
Syrian state media had previously denied rumours that Assad had fled the country, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus.
But Arabic media, quoting the rebels, say he boarded a plane and left Syria for an unknown destination.
On Friday, the British daily The Telegraph reported that Assad’s family had left Syria and flown to Russia but didn’t say which family members had left or which city they had gone to.
And in the early hours of Sunday, Syrian army command notified members of the military that Assad’s 24-year rule had come to an end.
The insurgents in Damascus say they have taken control of the headquarters of the national radio and television service.
Assad had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia has most of its forces tied up with the war in Ukraine and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel.
Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes.
US President-elect Donald Trump said in a social media post on Saturday that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria, saying “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
Separately, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said the Biden administration had no intention of intervening in Syria either.
