Syria’s rebel forces, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS), have entered the capital Damascus, capping a stunning advance across the country.
Here is everything we know so far:
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Rebel forces say they have captured Damascus. Video circulating online shows Syrian army forces removing their uniforms in the streets of the capital. The insurgents announced that they have begun freeing detainees from Sednaya prison, a notorious detention facility near Damascus. Shooting has been heard across the capital.
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There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government. The pro-government Sham FM radio reported that Damascus airport was evacuated and all flights halted. The insurgents also announced they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and “liberated our prisoners” there.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly left Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor says he has left the country. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said “Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left” the facility. The Syrian president has not been seen publicly for days. The Guardian was unable to independently confirm the reports.
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Should Damascus fall to the opposition forces, the government would have control of only two of 14 provincial capitals: Latakia and Tartus.
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Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul-Ghani said early on Sunday that insurgent forces had “fully liberated” Syria’s central city of Homs. There were reports of celebrations in the city and of images of president Bashar al-Assad being removed. A statue of Hafez al-Assad, the father of Bashar al-Assad, has also been torn down by a large crowd in the city. Earlier, government forces withdrew from Homs.
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The loss of Homs was a crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus – the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base.
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Donald Trump said the US should avoid engaging militarily in Syria, according to the Associated Press. The president-elect’s first extensive comments on the dramatic rebel push came on Saturday via his social media website. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT”, he wrote in a social media post.
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The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called Saturday for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.”