Syrian authorities seems to have fallen in beautiful finish to lengthy rule of Assad household

BEIRUT — The Syrian authorities appeared to have fallen early Sunday in a shocking finish to the 50-year rule of the Assad household after a lightning insurgent offensive.

The top of a Syrian opposition warfare monitor stated President Bashar Assad had left the nation for an undisclosed location, fleeing forward of insurgents who stated they’d entered Damascus after a remarkably swift advance throughout the nation.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali stated the federal government was able to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its capabilities to a transitional authorities.

“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili stated in a video assertion. He stated he would go to his workplace to proceed work within the morning and referred to as on Syrian residents to not deface public property.

He didn’t tackle stories that Assad had left the nation.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights informed The Related Press that Assad took a flight Sunday from Damascus.

State tv in Iran, Assad’s primary backer within the years of warfare in Syria, reported that Assad had left the capital. It cited Qatar’s Al Jazeera information community for the knowledge and didn’t elaborate.

There was no quick assertion from the Syrian authorities.

An Related Press journalist in Damascus reported seeing teams of armed residents alongside the highway within the outskirts of the capital and listening to sounds of gunshots. The town’s primary police headquarters seemed to be deserted, its door left ajar with no officers outdoors. One other AP journalist shot footage of an deserted military checkpoint the place uniforms have been discarded on the bottom underneath a poster of Assad’s face.

Residents of the capital reported listening to gunfire and explosions. Footage broadcast on opposition-linked media confirmed a tank in one of many capital’s central squares whereas a small group of individuals gathered in celebration. Calls of “God is great” rang out from mosques.

It was the primary time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege.

The professional-government Sham FM radio reported that the Damascus airport had been evacuated and all flights halted.

The insurgents additionally introduced they’d entered the infamous Saydnaya navy jail north of the capital and “liberated” their prisoners there.

The evening earlier than, opposition forces took the central metropolis of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as authorities forces deserted it. The town stands at an necessary intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian chief’s base of help and residential to a Russian strategic naval base.

The rebels had already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, in addition to massive elements of the south, in a lightning offensive that started Nov. 27. Analysts stated insurgent management of Homs could be a game-changer.

The rebels’ strikes into Damascus got here after the Syrian military withdrew from a lot of southern a part of the nation, leaving extra areas, together with a number of provincial capitals, underneath the management of opposition fighters.

The autumn of Damascus would go away authorities forces in command of solely two of 14 provincial capitals: Latakia and Tartus.

The advances up to now week have been by far the biggest in recent times by opposition factions, led by a bunch that has its origins in al-Qaida and is taken into account a terrorist group by the U.S. and the United Nations. Of their push to overthrow Assad’s authorities, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian military.

The fast insurgent positive aspects, coupled with the dearth of help from Assad’s erstwhile allies, posed probably the most critical menace to his rule for the reason that begin of the warfare.

The U.N.’s particular envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, referred to as Saturday for pressing talks in Geneva to make sure an “orderly political transition.” Chatting with reporters on the annual Doha Discussion board in Qatar, he stated the scenario in Syria was altering by the minute. Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose nation is Assad’s chief worldwide backer, stated he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.”

In Damascus, individuals rushed to fill up on provides. 1000’s went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, making an attempt to depart the nation. Lebanese border officers closed the primary Masnaa border crossing late Saturday, leaving many caught ready.

Many outlets within the capital have been shuttered, a resident informed The Related Press, and people nonetheless open ran out of staples resembling sugar. Some have been promoting gadgets at thrice the traditional value.

The U.N. stated it was shifting noncritical workers outdoors the nation as a precaution.

Assad’s standing

Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the nation, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus.

He has had little, if any, assist from his allies. Russia is busy with its warfare in Ukraine. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one level despatched hundreds of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong battle with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies throughout the area degraded by common Israeli airstrikes.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the USA ought to keep away from partaking militarily in Syria. Individually, President Joe Biden’s nationwide safety adviser stated the Biden administration had no intention of intervening there.

Pedersen stated a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation of a U.N. decision, adopted in 2015 and calling for a Syrian-led political course of, could be introduced later. The decision requires the institution of a transitional governing physique, adopted by the drafting of a brand new structure and ending with U.N.-supervised elections.

Later Saturday, international ministers and senior diplomats from eight key nations, together with Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, together with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to debate the scenario in Syria.

In a press release, the members affirmed their help for a political resolution to the Syrian disaster “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.”

The insurgents’ march

A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus.

HTS controls a lot of northwest Syria and in 2017 arrange a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs within the area. Lately, HTS chief Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s picture, chopping ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officers and vowing to embrace pluralism and non secular tolerance.

The shock offensive started Nov. 27, throughout which gunmen captured the northern metropolis of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central metropolis of Hama, the nation’s fourth-largest metropolis.

The Syrian authorities has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since battle broke out in March 2011.

Qatar’s prime diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to benefit from the lull in combating in recent times to deal with the nation’s underlying issues. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he stated.