The Syrian president has fled Damascus on a plane for an unknown destination.
That’s according to two senior Syrian army officers speaking to the Reuters news agency and Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, speaking to AP.
A Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels, according to data from the Flightradar website.
Read more: Latest updates from Syria
Initially, the aircraft a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect in Syria’s coastal region but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map.
Syria’s army command has now notified officers that President Bashar al Assad’s 24-year rule has ended, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move told Reuters.
Hours earlier, the rebels said they had gained complete control of the key city of Homs after only a day of fighting.
Syrian prime minister said he is ready to hand over the government to the opposition in a peaceful transition.
“I am here in my home,” said prime minister Ghazi al-Jalali.
“I have not left it and do not intend to leave, except in a peaceful manner that ensures the continued functioning of public institutions and state facilities, promoting security and reassurance for our fellow citizens.
“I hope everyone will think rationally and consider their country,” Mr Jalali said.
He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
He did not comment on reports Bashar al Assad has fled Damascus.
Soon after, the rebels announced it was prohibited to go near public institutions that will remain under the supervision of the “former prime minister”.
Thousands of Syrians, in cars and on foot, have congregated at a main square in the city chanting for freedom, according to Reuters.
In Homs, thousands of residents poured onto the streets after the army withdrew from the city, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al Assad”.
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Protesters brought down a statue of the late father of Syria’s president in a main square few miles from Damascus city centre.
Protesters on Saturday brought down a statue of the president’s late father in a main square in a suburb a few miles from the centre of the capital.
The country’s international airport in Damascus has been abandoned and rebels say they have entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and freed prisoners there.
“We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison,” said the rebels.
Gunfire has been reported in the centre of Damascus, two residents said to Reuters on Sunday, although it was not immediately clear what the source of the shooting was.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the main rebel leader, called the capture of Homs a historic moment and urged fighters not to harm “those who drop their arms”.
They have also claimed Deir el Zor in the east, Suweida, Quneitra and Deraa in the south.
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