The Syrian government collapsed early on 8 December in a stunning end to the Assad family’s 50-year rule, as opposition forces entered Damascus following a lightning offensive that captured major cities across the country in just ten days, according to AP, Aljazeera, and Syrian opposition sources.
Syrian state television aired a statement by opposition forces announcing President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners of his regime freed.
“The city of Damascus has been liberated,” rebels declared in their first broadcast on state TV, according to Aljazeera, adding: “The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has been toppled. All the prisoners have been released from the prison of Damascus. We wish all our fighters and citizens to preserve and maintain the property of the state of Syria. Long live Syria.”
Two senior army officers told Reuters that Assad flew out of Damascus early on Sunday, 6 December, for an unknown destination. Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed to AP that Assad took a flight from Damascus. Iranian state television also reported Assad had left the capital, citing Qatar’s Al Jazeera network.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali told Saudi network Al-Arabiyya that he had lost contact with Assad and the defense minister Saturday night, AP says. Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and transfer power to a transitional government.
The rebels’ dramatic advance from the north began on 27 November, when opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. They subsequently seized Hama and Homs, two other major cities further south, cutting off Damascus from Assad’s coastal strongholds, where the Russian naval and air force bases are located.
“What we are seeing now is the outcome of the past few years of training and professionalization of the HTS troops,” Crisis Group senior analyst Jerome Drevon told The Washington Post, noting Türkiye had provided material aid to the rebels.
Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom” from a half century of Assad family rule, Reuters reports.
Mazloum Abdi, General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), describes Syria’s current events as a “historic moment” marking the fall of an authoritarian regime.
“This change is an opportunity to build a new Syria based on democracy and justice that guarantees the rights of all Syrians,” he wrote on X.
Russian strategic setback
The Wall Street Journal says that Assad’s fall threatens Russia’s strategic position in the Middle East, challenging President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to portray Moscow as a flag bearer for an alternative global order. Russia has used Syria to project power in the region since intervening in 2015 to support Assad.
“Syria provided so many advantages at a low cost,” Anna Borshchevskaya, senior fellow at the Washington Institute, told WSJ. “Losing Syria would be a big strategic defeat that would reverberate beyond the Middle East. It would have global repercussions.”
The Khmeimim air base near Latakia in the northwestern Syria serves as a logistical hub for Russian flights to Libya, the Central African Republic, and Sudan, while the naval base in Tartus south of Latakia is Russia’s only replenishment point in the Mediterranean.
A rebel takeover of these coastal positions could jeopardize Russia’s global power projection, although no reports suggest military activity in the areas so far.
Earlier reports suggest that Russia started to withdraw its naval ships from Tartus several days ago.
With Russia fully invested in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Moscow would be unlikely to provide more than symbolic support to Assad.
Ukrainian military analyst Tatarigami argues that the swift fall of Assad’s regime undermines the “realities-on-the-ground” approach to negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war, stating:
“One of the biggest lessons from Syria is that, just a month ago, almost no one could have predicted the Assad regime would fall today. The “realities on the ground” crowd would have denied such a possibility. A reminder of why people in Ukraine fight rather than surrender.”
Regional response
The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition,” according to AP. Eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Türkiye, and Iran met on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation.
AP reported that Lebanon closed all land border crossings with Syria except one linking Beirut with Damascus, while Jordan shut its border crossing. According to Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi, about 2,000 Syrian army soldiers crossed into Iraq seeking refuge.
Menawhile, Israeli tanks reportedly crossed into Syria for the first time since 1974, following Israel’s announcement to bolster its military presence in response to the rebel offensive. The move aims to prevent Syrian forces or civilians from approaching Israeli positions, according to Maariv newspaper, Aljazeera reported.
Timeline of Syria’s war
- March 2011: Peaceful protests erupt in Damascus and Deraa, met with government crackdown, sparkling a war between the ruling regime and the opposition.
- July 2012: Opposition forces seize large parts of Aleppo.
- August 2013: Chemical weapons attack in Eastern Ghouta kills hundreds.
- June 2014: ISIL declares caliphate across Syria and Iraq.
- September 2015: Russia begins direct military intervention supporting Assad, subsequently taking control of the most of Syria.
- April 2017: US launches missile strikes against Syrian government targets.
- 27 November 2024: Opposition launches offensive from Idlib.
- 29 November 2024: Rebels capture Aleppo.
- 5 December 2024: Opposition takes Hama.
- 7 December 2024: Rebels seize Homs.
- 8 December 2024: Opposition enters Damascus, Assad flees.
Related:
- Russia lost 600,000 troops in Ukraine, powerless in Syria, Trump says
- The Telegraph: Putin may need ceasefire in Ukraine if he loses Tartus naval base in Syria
- Russians retreat from Hama and Homs amid Syrian opposition offensive, Ukrainian intel says
- Russian general Sergey Kisel dismissed from Syrian command, Ukraine’s intelligence says
- Russian propaganda falsely claims Ukrainian involvement in terrorist training in Syria
- Ukrainian military intel strikes Russian drone base in Syria, media sources say
- Russia deceives Syrians into military service, promising guard duty in Yakutia, citizenship
