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Syria
Local residents cheer as they gather on a street in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana on December 8, 2024. Photo: LOUAI BESHARA / AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed as the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led Syrian rebels announced early on Sunday that they had entered Damascus, ending over five decades of Baathist rule.
“Our forces started entering Damascus,” the HTS said on their channel on Telegram.
The rebels also announced that Assad has fled the country.
The rebels also called on Syrians around the world to fly back home and return to a “free Syria”.
Upon entering the capital, the rebels opened the gates of the notorious Sednaya jail, known as the “human slaughterhouse,” and freed thousands of inmates, according to the United Kingdom-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani ordered his forces not to approach any official institutions in the capital and declared that these institutions would remain under the supervision of Syrian regime Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali until their official handover.
“To all military forces in the city of Damascus, it is strictly forbidden to approach public institutions, which will remain under the supervision of the former prime minister until they are officially handed over,” Jolani said in a statement.
Jalali on Sunday announced in a speech broadcast on his Facebook account that he was ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people, adding that they are ready for any handover process.
“This country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbors and the world... but this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with it (that leadership) and offer all possible facilities,” Jalali said.
The rebels also announced that their forces began entering the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, which has been under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over the past few days.
The SDF has yet to comment on the latest developments in Deir ez-Zor.
The White House announced on Sunday morning that US President Joe Biden was "closely monitoring" the events in Syria.
"President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement on X.
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