Crowds filled Damascus streets Sunday with chants, prayers and sporadic celebratory gunfire as opposition forces consolidated control of the capital, marking the apparent end of Bashar Assad’s rule while mystery surrounds the president’s whereabouts.
Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, reported Assad departed Damascus by air early Sunday, though no official government statement has confirmed his location. The developments come just hours after opposition forces seized control of Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, which government forces abandoned without resistance.
The stunning collapse of Assad’s government prompted immediate response from neighboring states. Lebanon announced closure of all land border crossings with Syria except the Beirut-Damascus route, while Jordan completely sealed its frontier with the country.
The opposition’s entry into Damascus represents their first presence in the capital since 2018, when government forces had pushed them from the city’s outskirts after a prolonged siege. Their lightning advance has dramatically altered the region’s political landscape within days.
The celebration in Damascus marks a stark reversal for a city that has remained under tight government control throughout most of Syria’s civil conflict, as residents openly display support for the opposition that has now gained control of the capital.
Syrian state television broadcast a statement from the “Operations Room to Conquer Damascus” announcing President Bashar Assad’s overthrow and the liberation of all prisoners. The declaration came as reports emerged that Assad had fled the country, with Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali confirming he had lost contact with the president late Saturday.
“I did not sleep last night, and I refused to sleep until I heard the news of his fall,” said Mohammed Amer Al-Oulabi, 44, an electricity sector worker, as Damascus residents gathered in mosques and squares, chanting “God is great” and anti-Assad slogans. Teenagers wielded weapons apparently abandoned by security forces.
The historically pro-government al-Watan newspaper acknowledged the revolution’s success, writing: “We are facing a new page for Syria. We thank God for not shedding more blood.” A statement from Assad’s Alawite sect urged youth to remain “calm, rational and prudent.”
The rebels’ advance since November 27 saw major cities fall in quick succession as Assad’s traditional allies – Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah – withdrew support while facing other conflicts. The opposition is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has attempted to remake its image by breaking ties with al-Qaida and promising religious tolerance.
UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen called for urgent Geneva talks to ensure an “orderly political transition,” while Qatar hosted emergency meetings with regional powers including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Turkey to discuss stability and “safe transition.”
