Syrian rebels led by Islamist militants said early Sunday that the capital city is “free” of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, as reports say that Assad has fled Damascus by plane. His destination was not known.
“We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” the insurgents’ Military Operations Command wrote on Telegram. “To the displaced all over the world, a free Syria awaits you.”
Unconfirmed posts on social media say that the Syrian government’s vaunted “Fortress Damascus” did not hold, and that Assad’s soldiers had changed from their uniforms into civilian clothes.
The militants entered the central city of Homs on December 7 and began to encircle the capital city of Damascus, according to reports from inside the embattled country. Amid reports that Russian and Iranian assets there have dwindled considerably, authorities within the Syrian government said that the city is heavily fortified and impenetrable. Events proved otherwise.
The unexpected rebel assault casts a stark spotlight on the Syrian armed forces under President Bashar Assad. The timing is notable, as Assad’s key allies — Iran, its proxy forces, and Russia — are embroiled in their own conflicts, potentially straining their ability to provide critical support.
READ MORE about recent military action in Syria.
The fighting has forced thousands of residents to flee war-torn areas, a security source told Soldier of Fortune on Saturday.
Experts have linked the latest developments in Aleppo to shifting dynamics elsewhere in the Middle East.
“Since 2016, those defending Aleppo were Iran and Hezbollah, but both are now in vastly different circumstances,” said Ahmed Rahal, a former Syrian military general who defected from the army in 2012. He now works as a military analyst in Istanbul.
“Iran is currently preoccupied with its conflict with Israel, and Hezbollah has nearly been decimated [by Israel],” he told VOA.
The terror group no longer can be counted upon to pick up the fight, a U.S.-based security source told Soldier of Fortune.
“Hezbollah has been pushed to the wall,” the source said.
As fighting on the ground and rebel gains intensified, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey held emergency talks in Doha, Qatar, on December 7 called for an end to hostilities.
Assad’s whereabouts were not confirmed as of early Sunday.
– Based on reports from multiple sources, including VOA, RFE/RL; and from security contacts in London and the U.S.
