International Desk: The country’s military commander has told Syrian officials that the rule of President Bashar al-Assad has ended. A Syrian official familiar with the matter confirmed this information to Reuters.
Syrian rebels say that Syria is now free from Assad. Earlier, two Syrian military officials told Reuters that Assad had left Damascus by plane. However, it is not yet known for sure where he went.
Citing the Flightradar website, it was reported that a Syrian plane took off from Damascus airport. Then the plane headed towards the Syrian coastal region. However, the plane suddenly made a U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for several minutes and disappeared from the map.
It was not immediately clear who was on the plane, Reuters reported.
Syrian opponents say that Assad has fled the country. They have announced the fall of the Assad government. In a statement, the armed opposition said, “The tyrant Assad has fled the country. We declare Damascus free from Bashar al-Assad.”
The BBC’s live report said that rebels are entering Damascus. The rebels said on the messaging service Telegram that our troops have begun to enter the capital, Damascus.
Witnesses said that thousands of people had arrived in cars and on foot in the main square of Damascus. They were waving their hands and shouting slogans of freedom.
The rebels said that we are celebrating with the Syrian people the news of the release of our prisoners and the breaking of their chains and the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison.
Russia and Iran have been providing military support to the government of Bashar al-Assad. Bashar al-Assad has been in power in Syria since 2000. Before that, his father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled the country for 29 years.
