Syrian rebels have entered the capital city of Damascus after a shocking takeover of the Middle Eastern country in under two weeks.
Syrian President Bashar al Assad, whose whereabouts were unknown, has reportedly left the country. Social media users tracking Assad’s alleged plane noted that it disappeared from flight radar near the city of Homs.
The Syrian prime minister, Mohammad Ghazi al Jalali, announced in a statement that he hadn’t left the country and expressed willingness to “cooperate” with the rebel leadership.
Earlier Sunday, the rebel fighters, who are part of the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which is an outgrowth of Al Qaeda, marched through the strategic city of Homs. That gave them a direct path to Damascus.
Footage posted to Telegram shows rebel fighters operating the state television office in Damascus as well as civilians taking to the streets, celebrating the fall of Assad.
The rebels said on Sunday that Syria was “now free of Assad.”
The rebels also said they had control of a notorious prison to the north of Damascus, the Saydnaya Military Prison. Video showed groups of men walking through the city streets who were reportedly released from the prison.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett posted on X that “President [Joe] Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners.”
The Biden administration has watched the unfolding chaos with caution, voicing neutrality.
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This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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