Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown from his regime in Syria.
The president’s 24 years in government is at an end, as is his family’s 50-year rule of Syria, as Mr Assad fled to Russia on Sunday after rebels took over the capital, Damascus.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK will play a part in “ensuring a political solution prevails” while welcoming an end to the “barbaric” regime.
Here is what we know about the unfolding situation:
Where is Bashar al-Assad now?
The short answer is, we are not 100 per cent sure. The ex-president has not been pictured since he vowed to “crush” rebels a week ago.
Russian state media have reported that Mr Assad landed in Moscow after fleeing Syria.
Mr Assad, who was Syria’s president for more than two decades and inherited the post from his father, Hafez al-Assad, has left the country and given orders for a peaceful transition of power, according to Russia, a close ally of the regime.
Moscow say they have given him and his family asylum.
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, had reported that a plane believed to be carrying Mr Assad “left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left” the facility.
Why is Russia an ally of Mr Assad?
The story goes back to Cold War times.
The Soviet Union gained influence in Syria in the 1970s by giving aid and arms but, when the union collapsed, the influence reduced.
In 2000, Vladimir Putin became president of Russia and Mr Assad became president of Syria.
President Putin began to expand the Russian military and started to support Syria when a series of uprisings across the Middle East began in 2011.
Russia previously had a good relationship with Libya when they had Colonel Gaddafi as their leader but, when he was gone, Mr Putin looked for allies elsewhere in the region.
What has Sir Keir Starmer said?
Sir Keir welcomed the fall of Mr Assad, saying Syrians “have put up with his brutal regime for far, far too long”. The UK welcomed his fall from power.
The prime minister said his government is “talking to regional allies” as he urged Syrians to find “a political way forward”, adding that "it’s very important that civilians and minorities are protected in this process.
“But [I'm] very, very pleased that Assad has fallen,” he said.
What have other leaders around the world said?
US president Joe Biden, in a televised address, said: “As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk.”
Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron added: “The barbaric state has fallen.”
But incoming US president Donald Trump looked less likely to offer an opinion.
He said Syria was a “mess” but not a “friend” of the United States. “THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” he wrote in a post on X.
Who is now in control of Syria?
Rebel forces claim to have taken control of the Syrian capital after storming through the country in less than two weeks, after 24 years of Mr Assad’s reign.
One of those groups, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), was once known as the Nusra Front, a former wing of al Qaeda, before cutting those ties in 2016, and has long been designated a terrorist group by the US and Russia. The UK is considering dropping the “terrorist” status from the group.
The group includes rebels under the banner of the Syrian National Army, backed by Turkey, but the offensive has mostly been led by HTS.
It was formed to oppose the Syrian government and was founded by Abu Muhammed al Jolani.
After cutting ties with al Qaeda, the group has made an effort to appear moderate and benign.
What might happen next?
Robert Ford, former US ambassador to Syria, told Sky News: “We don't know exactly what they're going to do," he said. “I would say here that, after a 13-year incredibly bloody and vicious civil war, right now it's a day for Syrians to celebrate, and to hope for things that will turn out better.
“There will be plenty of hard work quickly waiting for them.”
An immediate priority for the international community will be to secure chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of armed groups.
Syria is the main land route for Iranian weapons deliveries to Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.
