Can the civil war in Syriawhich began as a consequence of the Arab Spring, to reach its end with its fall Bashar al-Assad;
After the strategically important city Homs and the capital of Syria, Damascus, fell into the hands of the rebels who have for days launched their counterattack for the dethronement of the country’s president for decades. And while in the early hours of Sunday (08.12.2024) the rebels entered the capital, Assad has… disappeared from the face of the earth, according to CNN and already some say he has left the city, maybe even the country.
The “fall” of Damascus will mark the rebels’ final assault against Assad and his regime. The news that the rebels entered the capital was reported by the Reuters agency, while earlier there were reports of shootings in a central district of Damascus.
A resident of the Barzeh neighborhood in northern Damascus told CNN he saw rebels on the streets and heard heavy gunfire.
The extremist Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which leads a rebel alliance in Syria, announced that its forces had entered Damascus. “Our forces are beginning to enter Damascus“, he said in a message on Telegram. At the same time, it said that its fighters had taken over Sednaya prison on the outskirts of the capital, freeing the prisoners. “We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of the release of our prisoners from their shackles and the announcement of the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison,” he adds.
“The doors of Sednaya prison, known as a ‘human slaughterhouse’, have been opened to thousands of prisoners,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed.
And while rebels were entering the capital, soldiers and members of the security forces were leaving the Syrian capital’s airport, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Although earlier, Assad’s army had sent messages to the citizens that it will continue to defend the country and restore security and stability.
CNN: Assad is dead
After her publication Wall Street Journal that Bashar al-Assad’s wife and children have left Syriahere comes another piece of information, this time from CNN. The president of the country, while the rebels are advancing, has disappeared and no one knows where he is.
CNN cited an unnamed source as saying that Bashar al-Assad it is nowhere to be found in Damascuswhile the Syrian presidency and Iranian officials insist he has not left the capital.
Two senior officers of the Syrian armed forces told Reuters that Assad left Syria, boarded a plane that departed for an unknown destination.
American officials estimate, as they told CNN, that the Assad regime may fall soon. The rebels claim to be in contact with regime officials, who are preparing to defect.
Syrian rebels, under the Military Operations Command that was formed just a week ago, launched their counteroffensive from Aleppo last week. This was followed by the “fall” of Hama on Tuesday and on Saturday they captured Homs, the last stop before Damascus.
The “fall” of Homs
With all formality, the Syrian rebels have “completely liberated” the city of Homs (in central Syria), the commander Hassan Abdul Ghani announced on Saturday night to Sunday.
The capture of Homs (located north of Damascus) was earlier welcomed by the head of the Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), speaking of a “historic” moment.
In a video message on the Telegram platform, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sara – better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jowlani – said: “We are living in the last moments of the liberation of the city of Homs (…) A historical event, which will distinguish truth from fiction. lie”.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is dominated by al-Qaeda’s former arm in Syria, and other rebel groups launched attacks against the Syrian army last week, quickly capturing dozens of communities and strategic towns as they increasingly tightened the around Damascus.
Hezbollah retreated
Shortly before Syrian rebels entered Homs, Hezbollah fighters left the town of Qusayr in Homs province, Reuters reported, citing sources in the Syrian army.
According to Reuters information, about 150 vehicles with hundreds of Hezbollah fighters gradually left Qusair heading for the Lebanese border.
Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV reported that Israel had launched an airstrike against a convoy, without giving further details.
Qusayr and its surroundings have been repeatedly targeted by the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) who have made it clear that they will block any attempt to transfer arms from Syria to Hezbollah.