Rebel fighters in Syria announced they entered the capital city of Damascus on Sunday, after seizing control of several other cities as part of the effort to take down President Bashar al-Assad.
Just before dawn, insurgents appeared to be entering the city, according to photos and videos posted on social media.
The development is the latest in the offensive movement that Syrian rebels ignited less than two weeks ago in an attempt to challenge al-Assad’s rule which has been a conflict since 2011.
The Syrian government did not give an official statement immediately.
It is unclear if al-Assad is still in Damascus at this time. The government has denied rumors he has fled the country.
Just hours early, rebels announced they had “fully liberated” the city of Homs – a major intersection point between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where al-Assad enjoys wide support and where his Russian allies have a naval base and airbase.
📍 From Umayyad Square in the heart of Damascus: Syria is no longer Assad’s Syria. pic.twitter.com/f7ZxtBR583
— Hussam Hammoud | حسام (@HussamHamoud) December 8, 2024
It was part of a major advancement, led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), to try and overthrow al-Assad’s 24-year reign.
For 13 years, rebels have sought to achieve the same goal after civil war erupted in the wake of the Arab Spring. Syrians initially peacefully protested in the hopes of changing the government but it quickly spiraled into a bloody conflict after al-Assad violently opposed the protests.
Over the years, outside forces have gotten involved. Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, all backed al-Assad’s government while the United States supported rebels.
But in addition, the Kurdish, the largest ethnic minority group in Syria, began its own coalition and began to take land.
Though the conflict within the country has been ongoing since 2011, the rebels launched a fast-moving and unexpected offensive at the end of November. Insurgents quickly took over the city of Aleppo and then the city of Hama, closing in on Damascus.
HTS, which has roots in al-Qaeda though is no longer affiliated, is a designated terroist organization by the United States.
Government forces were forced to withdraw from Damascus International Airport, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday. No flights appeared to be going in or out of the airport, according to FlightRadar24.
Rebels claimed they had also taken control of the notorious Saydnaya Military Prison which sits north of Damascus. The prison was the site of horrific torture and brutality which Amnesty International said was used “to degrade, punish and humiliate” prisoners.
