Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has stepped down and fled the country, according to an announcement from Russia’s foreign ministry, hours after rebel forces captured the capital, Damascus. This marks a dramatic shift in Syria’s 12-year-long civil conflict.
The Russian statement did not specify Assad’s current location, but his departure follows days of rapid territorial gains by opposition forces. Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions announced early Sunday that they had entered Damascus without resistance, declaring, “The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled.”
Reports of Assad’s Departure
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a plane believed to be carrying Assad left Damascus International Airport on Saturday night. SOHR chief Rami Abdul Rahman stated that the aircraft was scheduled for departure at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT).
Flight tracking data, however, presents conflicting information. While no flight matching that description was recorded at the time, a Cham Wings Airlines Airbus A320 departed Damascus at 00:56 local time Sunday, landing in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). A diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, speaking in Bahrain, said he had no knowledge of Assad’s presence in the country.
Reuters also cited unnamed senior Syrian military officials claiming Assad boarded a Syrian Air flight early Sunday. Another Ilyushin Il-76T cargo plane was tracked leaving Damascus at 03:59 local time, heading east before making a U-turn towards the Mediterranean coast, a stronghold for Assad’s Alawite sect and the location of key Russian military bases.
Flight data indicates the plane lost its transponder signal around 04:39 local time, near Homs, a city recently captured by rebel forces. The signal disruption, according to Flightradar24, could be attributed to the aircraft’s outdated transponder and GPS jamming in the area.
Assad’s Absence Fuels Speculation
Assad has not been seen publicly since a meeting with Iran’s foreign minister in Damascus last week, where he vowed to crush rebel advances. His sudden departure signals the collapse of government control after years of brutal fighting.
Aftermath in Damascus
Damascus erupted in gunfire on Sunday as rebels declared victory. Residents reported heavy shooting near the presidential palace, with some accounts suggesting it had been stormed.
The dramatic developments leave Syria at a critical juncture. With Assad gone, questions remain over who will assume power and what lies ahead for the war-torn nation. Regional and international observers are watching closely as the situation unfolds.
