Syrian President Bashar al-Assad resigned and fled the country yesterday to Russia, ending the Assad regime’s 50 years in power. See photos from the streets of Syria here; watch video here.
The announcement came a little over one week after rebels captured the country’s commercial capital of Aleppo in a days-long assault. They then captured the cities of Hama and Homs before taking control of the capital, Damascus, yesterday. The stunning offensive ended four years of a relatively quiet ceasefire and 13 years of civil war, in which an estimated 500,000 Syrians have been killed.
The rebels are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, whose leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani established the group as an al-Qaida affiliate in 2012 under a different name. In 2016, the group severed ties with al-Qaida, rebranded, and sought to work closely alongside other rebel groups; it remains designated a terrorist organization by the US and UN.
Yesterday, Golani spoke from the historic Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. He declared victory and suggested the current prime minister would stay on until a transition of power is complete.
