Damascus: In a lightning strike Syrian militants took over Damascus Sunday morning hours after Bashar al-Assad took a flight for an unknown destination.
The dramatic collapse marks a seismic moment for the Middle East, ending the family’s iron-fisted rule over Syria and dealing a massive blow to Russia and Iran, which have lost a key ally at the heart of the region.
After taking over, opposition fighters appeared on state television channels to announce what they described as the fall of Damascus and the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
Civilians took to the streets, waving the ‘revolution flag,’ an older flag used in Syria before the rule of Hafez al-Assad, the late father of Bashar al-Assad.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Al-Jallali announced his readiness to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the Syrian people.
Opposition military leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad Al-Julani, declared Al-Jallali would oversee public institutions until an official transfer of authority is completed.
“We extend our hands to every Syrian citizen committed to safeguarding the country’s resources,” Al-Jallali said in a televised address. “Syria belongs to all Syrians, and I urge everyone to think rationally about the nation’s best interests.”
Al-Julani instructed opposition forces in Damascus to refrain from approaching public institutions and banned celebratory gunfire. “These facilities will remain under the supervision of the former prime minister until they are handed over formally,” he said in a statement.
The opposition celebrated the release of prisoners from Sednaya Prison near Damascus. The prison was emptied as security forces withdrew.
Earlier Sunday, opposition fighters secured full control of Homs, a pivotal city and strategic crossroads, after a brief but intense battle. The victory severed connections between Damascus and the coastal strongholds of al-Assad’s Alawite community.
“The fall of Homs marks a historic moment,” Al-Julani said, urging his fighters to show restraint toward those who surrender. Thousands of prisoners in the city were freed as security forces fled, reportedly setting fire to government documents before departing.
The frontlines of Syria’s complex civil war were dormant for years. Then Islamists once affiliated with Al Qaeda suddenly burst into action, posing the biggest challenge to Assad, who had survived years of gruelling war and international isolation with the help of Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
But Assad’s allies were focussed on and weakened by other crises, leaving Assad at the mercy of his opponents with an army that was not prepared to defend him.
Israel, which has severely weakened the Iran-backed groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, will likely celebrate the fall of Assad, another of Iran’s key regional allies.
