Syrian rebels claim President Bashar al-Assad has fled country; videos capture people celebrating

Amid a rebel offensive, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has flown out of Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, Reuters reported.

The news agency cited two senior army officers, whom it did not name as rebels Syrian groups said they entered the capital, Damascus, in the early hours today.

The development comes hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, to the north of the country.

The head of Syria’s main opposition group abroad Hadi al-Bahra Syrian said that Damascus is now “without Bashar al-Assad” according to Reuters.

AlJazeera reported that Syrian rebels have said they have captured Damascus.

“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement. “We declare Damascus free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” they said.

The rebels earlier claimed to have entered the capital and taken control of the notorious Saydnaya Military Prison north of Damascus, CNN reported.

CNN cited the Military Operations Command’s post on Telegram which said, “We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad.” The statement added, “To the displaced all over the world, a free Syria awaits you.”

The civil war in the country that had remained dormant for a few years has resurfaced and within a the span of a few weeks, the Syrian rebel groups have taken over several key cities like Aleppo, Homs and Daraa.

The pro-government Sham FM radio station reported that militants had infiltrated the cities of al-Rastan and Tell Bisa in Homs’ northern part.

Syria’s defence ministry, however has refuted reports about troops withdrawal from Homs.

“Reports disseminated in some media outlets and resources linked with terrorist organizations about the withdrawal of any units of our armed forces from the city of Homs and its neighbourhoods are not true,” it said in a statement posted on its social media page.

Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said he does not plan on leaving his home as he aims to ensure that public institutions continue to function.

“I urge all to think rationally and to think about they country,” al-Jalali said. “We extend our hand to the opposition who have extended their hand and asserted that they will not harm anyone who belongs to this country,” he was cited as saying by Al Jazeera.

Videos posted online, which Al Jazeera said it had verified, show several people in the Ummayad Square, standing on an abandoned military tank and singing in celebration.

On December 5, the Syrian army command stated that militants had infiltrated several neighbourhoods in the city of Hama. According to its statement, government forces were redeployed outside the city.

On December 7, the Syrian Defence Ministry announced that military units operating in the south of the country were being regrouped in accordance with the military’s strategic plan.

Iran envoy to Beirut on Saturday said that the Syria developments pose a “threat” to entire region, the IRNA news agency reported.

Syrian government is engaged in fighting with terrorist groups that launched an offensive on November 27 from their stronghold in the western province of Idlib, it reported.

The Wall Street Journal had reported yesterday that Tehran warned Syrian President Bashar Assad last week that its assistance to his government in the fight against militant armed groups would be reduced,

According to the sources, Iran withdrew its senior officers stationed in eastern Syria. The newspaper also noted that the Iranian side accused the Syrian troops of retreating.

According to the Washington Post, the rebel advances are being led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a faction once associated with Al-Qaeda. A newly announced rebel faction, the Southern Operations Room, said Saturday its forces had taken the southern city of Daraa.

Meanwhile, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt Iraq, Russia, Turkey, and Iran expressed their support for the cessation of hostilities in Syria to pave the way for the launch of a political process, according to a joint statement issued following their meeting on the Syrian crisis in Doha.

Russia urged its citizens to leave Syria “on commercial flights through existing airports.”