President Bashar al-Assad’s immediate location was not initially clear after rebels took control of Syria’s capital. Russia’s foreign ministry did not provide details on where he had gone, saying only that he had resigned and left the country.
President Bashar al-Assad has resigned and left Syria, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, a stunning fall for the longtime dictator who had kept rebel forces at bay for years with the help of Moscow and Tehran.
Mr. al-Assad’s departure after rebels opposed to his rule swept through the country in a lightning offensive was an earthshaking moment in the history of Syria, which has been ruled by his family with an iron fist since the early 1970s. It marked a dramatic breakthrough for rebel factions in Syria that have been trying to unseat him for more than a decade, much of which was marked by a devastating civil war.
For many in Syria, Mr. al-Assad’s fall was a moment filled with hope as they no longer feared the regime that had used oppressive tactics to quash their freedoms. But it was also rife with uncertainty over who will rule Syria next and raised fears of a power vacuum in a country that has been rived with competing factions vying for control of different areas of territory.
“Our hearts are dancing with joy,” Walaa Salameh, 35, a resident of the Damascus area, said in a phone interview. “We can’t predict the future and anything is possible, but the most important thing is we got rid of this oppressive regime.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement did not offer details on Mr. al-Assad’s exact location, saying only that he had held talks with “several parties of the armed conflict.” There was no immediate comment from the Syrian presidency about Mr. al-Assad.
Earlier Sunday, the main rebel coalition, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, had announced on its Telegram channel that it had taken the capital, Damascus, and that Syrian forces were withdrawing.
State television went from trumpeting Mr. al-Assad’s strong defenses to broadcasting an announcement by a group of nine rebels on Sunday: “The city of Damascus has been liberated, the tyrant Bashar al-Assad has been toppled,” one of them read out, adding. “Long live a free and independent Syria for all Syrians of all sects.”
The events capped a startling two weeks in which the coalition of rebel groups that had been pinned down in a small corner of Syria’s northwest swept through the country’s major cities, shattering a stalemate in Syria’s 13-year civil war.
“No one should shed any tears over the end of the Assad regime,” Daniel B. Shapiro, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said in Bahrain.
Who are the rebels?: After attracting little notice for years, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani spearheaded a stunning lightning offensive that led to the fall of Mr. al-Assad’s regime. First, the rebels seized Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, then days later blazed through Hama and the strategic city of Homs, en route to the capital.
Damascus reacts: Three civilians in the capital told The New York Times that they heard gunfire in the city overnight. It was not immediately clear at the time who was firing. One resident said the gunfire appeared to be celebrating the rebels’ advance, and that some people were dancing in the streets. Amid the celebration, Syrians were also mourning all they had lost over 13 years of civil war.
Assad’s location: Amid swirling questions over Mr. al-Assad’s whereabouts, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, Syria’s prime minister, said that he had not spoken with him since Saturday. Mr. al-Jalali said that he would stay in the country and was ready to work with whomever Syrians choose as their leader. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said it would work with Mr. al-Jalali and called on Syrian military forces in Damascus to stay away from public institutions, which it said would remain under the prime minister’s supervision until they are formally handed over.
Assad’s allies: Mr. al-Assad had kept rebel forces at bay for more than a decade with Iranian and Russian military support. But in recent days, Iran and Russia appeared to be turning to diplomacy to preserve their interests in the country rather than significant military support. The Foreign Ministry of Iran said decision-making about the future of Syria was “solely the responsibility” of Syrians.
Prisoners freed: As the rebels advanced, they took over many of the notorious prisons where the Assad regime has for decades imprisoned, tortured and executed political prisoners. Videos emerging from north of Damascus show groups of men walking through city streets at night, reportedly after being freed from Sednaya Prison, which the rebels have taken, according to war monitors and the fighters.
Broader instability: Israel’s military said it had entered a demilitarized buffer zone in territory it controls in the Golan Heights, abutting Syria. The Israeli military, which is concerned about the sudden surge in instability near its borders, said it was acting to protect Israeli civilians. Iraq has secured its border with Syria, according to the official Iraqi News Agency, which said on Sunday that the Al-Qaim border crossing was closed.
