Damascus, Syria—Islamist-led rebels declared that they had taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on Sunday, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria.
Residents in the Syrian capital were seen cheering in the streets, as the rebel factions heralded the departure of “tyrant” Assad, saying: “We declare the city of Damascus free.”
AFPTV images from Damascus showed rebels firing into the air at sunrise, with some flashing the victory sign and crying “Allahu akbar,” or God is greatest.
Some climbed atop a tank in celebration, while others defaced a toppled statue of Assad’s father, Hafez.
“I can’t believe I’m living this moment,” tearful Damascus resident Amer Batha told Agence France Presse (AFP) by phone.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” he said, adding: “We are starting a new history for Syria.”
The president’s alleged departure, which was also reported by a war monitor, comes less than two weeks after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group launched its campaign challenging more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.
“After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement… we announce today the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria,” the rebel factions said on Telegram.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he was ready to cooperate with “any leadership chosen by the Syrian people.”
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP: “Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left” the facility.
AFP was unable to immediately confirm the report, which follows a source close to Hezbollah saying fighters from the key Assad ally had left their positions around Damascus.
HTS said their fighters broke into a jail on the outskirts of the capital, announcing an “end of the era of tyranny in the prison of Sednaya,” which has become a by-word for the darkest abuses of Assad’s era.
The rapid developments in Damascus come only hours after HTS said they had captured the strategic city of Homs, on the way to the capital.
The defense ministry earlier denied that rebels had entered Homs, describing the situation there as “safe and stable.”
Homs lies about 140 kilometers (85 miles) from the capital and was the third major city seized by the rebels, who began their advance on November 27, reigniting a years-long war that had become largely dormant.
US President Joe Biden was keeping a close eye on the “extraordinary events” unfolding in Syria, the White House said.