Assad Rule Ends in Syria as Rebels Take Damascus

Beirut: In a lightning strike Syrian rebels took over Damascus Sunday morning hours after President Bashar al-Assad took a flight for an unknown destination  w ith Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali ssaying  he was ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people. 

The rebels also said they were entering the city of Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria. Hours earlier, rebel forces said they had seized the crucial city of Homs. The Syrian military appeared to collapse with stunning speed.

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.

Syrian Prime Minister al-Jalali went on state television and declared  he w as ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the Syrian people and affirmed that he w as prepared to undertake a handover process.  

"I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country," he said in a video statement.

He also noted that he would go to his office to continue work in the morning, calling on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.

The head of the rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, said that his forces should steer clear of public institutions, as they entered Damascus.

"These will remain under the supervision of the former Prime Minister until they are officially handed over," Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, who is also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, said on the group's Telegram channel. "Shooting in the air is also forbidden."

Late on Saturday, the Syrian Arab Army withdrew from the city of Homs, where militants took over the city and other towns in western Syria. For the most part, no clashes were recorded before and during the withdrawal of Syrian Arab Army forces and the eventual takeover by militants of Syrian towns.

A report from Washington said President Biden and his aides w ere monitoring the unfolding events in Syria, according to Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council.

Savett said Biden and his team were in "constant touch" with partners in the Middle East. The administration has been involved in intense diplomacy in the region in recent months, including working to establish a cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon.

Where is Assad?

Bashar al-Assad left Syria in the early hours of Sunday local time, according to two Syrian security officials. His destination is unknown, they said.

Assad had announced he would address the nation at 8 p.m. local time on Saturday, but the speech never occurred. The president's wife and children left for Russia last week, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Complex war

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.