ROME (ITALPRESS) – Syrian rebels took control of Damascus on the night between Saturday and Sunday, effectively overthrowing the Assad regime.
According to Al Jazeera, Bashar al-Assad has fled the country. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane and left Damascus for an unknown destination overnight, marking the definitive end of his regime in Syria. This reportedly happened as rebels said they entered the capital with no sign of an army deployment.
The New York Times reports that only one flight was leaving Damascus as the rebels approached. That flight was headed to Moscow. Other footage appears to show chaos at the airport as staff and security leave their posts.
The head of the main Syrian opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said Damascus is now “without Bashar al-Assad”.
Syrian rebels also said Damascus is “now free of Assad,” calling on Syrians abroad to return to their newly liberated country.
An Al Jazeera TV reporter in Damascus reported seeing groups of armed civilians lining a road on the outskirts of the capital and hearing gunfire.
The city’s main police headquarters appeared abandoned, its door left partially opened with no officers outside, they said. Footage circulating on social media shows an abandoned army checkpoint where uniforms were being thrown to the ground beneath a poster of Assad’s face.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he is ready to “work with” any leadership chosen by the people and for any handover process, after the apparent fall of the Assad regime. “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 work with [that leadership] and offer all possible facilities,” Jalali said in a speech broadcasted on his Facebook account.
Photo credits: Ipa Agency
(ITALPRESS).
