Bhubaneswar: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is said to have flown out of Damascus, which fell to rapid rebel offensive on Sunday.
The rebel forces entered Damascus after capturing Homs, the third biggest city of Syria,
Soon after entering the capital with no sign of army deployments, Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group announced an “end of the era of tyranny in the prison of Sednaya” under Assad’s authoritarian rule. While Army and security forces abandoned Damascus International Airport, fighters of a key Assad ally left their positions around the Syrian capital, a source close to Hezbollah told AFP.
“After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement … we announce today, 12-8-2024, the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria,” they said in a statement.
Syrian state TV aired a video, stating the Assad regime has been overthrown and all the jail detainees have been freed. Syrian army command also informed its officers that Assad’s rule in the country has ended.
People soon gathered in the central squares of Damascus, chanting anti-Assad slogans and honking car horns.
Declaring Damascus “free of al-Assad”, Hadi al-Bahra, who heads the Syrian political opposition coalition overseas, congratulated the Syrian people. He told Al-Arabiya news that Damascus is safe and Bashar-al Assad’s regime has fallen and that “a dark era in Syria’s history has passed”.
“To our people of all sects and religions, as long as you do not raise arms against any other citizen and as long as you stay in your homes, you are safe. There will be no cases of revenge or retaliation, and no violations of human rights. People’s dignity will be respected and their dignity will be preserved,” Bahra posted on X read.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said that he was willing to cooperate with the opposition, and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property. “I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said, as reported by the Associated Press.
He added he would go to his office to continue work in the morning.
Abu Mohamed al-Julani, head of main fighting group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, too has ordered opposition fighters to not attack any public institutions and services.
This Is Not Our Fight: Trump
Criticizing Russia’s overstretched military, US President-elect Trump has urged the United States to stay out of Syria and avoid getting involved.
“This is not our fight. Let it play out. Do not get involved,” Trump declared on social media.
He asserted that that Russia is overstretched due to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine and “seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years.”
He also blamed former President Barack Obama for the instability in the region. “This is where former President Obama refused to honor his commitment of protecting the RED LINE IN THE SAND, and all hell broke out, with Russia stepping in,” he wrote.
Trump added that Russia’s involvement in Syria was limited to strategic benefit. “But now they are, like possibly Assad himself, being forced out, and it may actually be the best thing that can happen to them. There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look really stupid. In any event, Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.”
