BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian authorities appeared to have fallen early Sunday in a shocking finish to the 50-year rule of the Assad household after a lightning insurgent offensive.
The top of a Syrian opposition conflict monitor mentioned President Bashar Assad had left the nation for an undisclosed location, fleeing forward of insurgents who mentioned they’d entered Damascus after a remarkably swift advance throughout the nation.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali mentioned the federal government was able to “lengthen its hand” to the opposition and hand over its features to a transitional authorities.
“I’m in my home and I’ve not left, and that is due to my belonging to this nation,” Jalili mentioned in a video assertion. He mentioned he would go to his workplace to proceed work within the morning and known as on Syrian residents to not deface public property.
He didn’t tackle studies that Assad had left the nation.
Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights instructed The Related Press that Assad took a flight Sunday from Damascus.
State tv in Iran, Assad’s essential backer within the years of conflict in Syria, reported that Assad had left the capital. It cited Qatar’s Al Jazeera information community for the knowledge and didn’t elaborate.
There was no fast assertion from the Syrian authorities.
An Related Press journalist in Damascus reported seeing teams of armed residents alongside the street within the outskirts of the capital and listening to sounds of gunshots. The town’s essential police headquarters gave the impression to be deserted, its door left ajar with no officers exterior. One other AP journalist shot footage of an deserted military checkpoint the place uniforms have been discarded on the bottom below a poster of Assad’s face.
Residents of the capital reported listening to gunfire and explosions. Footage broadcast on opposition-linked media confirmed a tank in one of many capital’s central squares whereas a small group of individuals gathered in celebration. Calls of “God is nice” rang out from mosques.
It was the primary time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a yearslong siege.
The professional-government Sham FM radio reported that the Damascus airport had been evacuated and all flights halted.
The insurgents additionally introduced they’d entered the infamous Saydnaya navy jail north of the capital and “liberated” their prisoners there.
The night time earlier than, opposition forces took the central metropolis of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as authorities forces deserted it. The town stands at an necessary intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian chief’s base of assist and residential to a Russian strategic naval base.
The federal government denied rumors that Assad had fled the nation.
Sham FM reported that authorities forces took positions exterior Homs with out elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, mentioned Syrian troops and members of various safety companies withdrew from the town, including that rebels entered components of it.
The insurgency introduced later Saturday that it had taken over Homs. The rebels had already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, in addition to giant components of the south, in a lightning offensive that started Nov. 27. Analysts mentioned insurgent management of Homs could be a game-changer.
The rebels’ strikes into Damascus got here after the Syrian military withdrew from a lot of southern a part of the nation, leaving extra areas, together with a number of provincial capitals, below the management of opposition fighters.
The autumn of Damascus would go away authorities forces answerable for solely two of 14 provincial capitals: Latakia and Tartus.
The advances up to now week have been by far the most important in recent times by opposition factions, led by a bunch that has its origins in al-Qaida and is taken into account a terrorist group by the U.S. and the United Nations. Of their push to overthrow Assad’s authorities, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian military.
The fast insurgent features, coupled with the shortage of assist from Assad’s erstwhile allies, posed probably the most severe risk to his rule for the reason that begin of the conflict.
The U.N.’s particular envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, known as Saturday for pressing talks in Geneva to make sure an “orderly political transition.” Talking to reporters on the annual Doha Discussion board in Qatar, he mentioned the state of affairs in Syria was altering by the minute. Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose nation is Assad’s chief worldwide backer, mentioned he feels “sorry for the Syrian folks.”
In Damascus, folks rushed to refill on provides. 1000’s went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, attempting to depart the nation. Lebanese border officers closed the primary Masnaa border crossing late Saturday, leaving many caught ready.
Many outlets within the capital have been shuttered, a resident instructed The Related Press, and people nonetheless open ran out of staples corresponding to sugar. Some have been promoting objects at thrice the traditional worth.
The U.N. mentioned it was transferring noncritical employees exterior the nation as a precaution.
Assad’s standing
Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the nation, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus.
He has had little, if any, assist from his allies. Russia is busy with its conflict in Ukraine. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one level despatched 1000’s of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a yearlong battle with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies throughout the area degraded by common Israeli airstrikes.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that america ought to keep away from participating militarily in Syria. Individually, President Joe Biden’s nationwide safety adviser mentioned the Biden administration had no intention of intervening there.
Pedersen mentioned a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation of a U.N. decision, adopted in 2015 and calling for a Syrian-led political course of, could be introduced later. The decision requires the institution of a transitional governing physique, adopted by the drafting of a brand new structure and ending with U.N.-supervised elections.
Later Saturday, overseas ministers and senior diplomats from eight key international locations, together with Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, together with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to debate the state of affairs in Syria.
In a press release, the members affirmed their assist for a political resolution to the Syrian disaster “that will result in the top of navy exercise and shield civilians.” Additionally they agreed on the significance of strengthening worldwide efforts to extend help to the Syrian folks.
The insurgents’ march
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition conflict monitor, mentioned insurgents have been within the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters have been marching towards the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added.
A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “remaining stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus.
HTS controls a lot of northwest Syria and in 2017 arrange a “salvation authorities” to run day-to-day affairs within the area. In recent times, HTS chief Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s picture, chopping ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officers and vowing to embrace pluralism and spiritual tolerance.
The shock offensive started Nov. 27, throughout which gunmen captured the northern metropolis of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central metropolis of Hama, the nation’s fourth-largest metropolis.
Opposition activists mentioned Saturday {that a} day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is dwelling to invaluable archaeological websites had been in authorities palms since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017.
To the south, Syrian troops left a lot of the province of Quneitra, together with the primary Baath Metropolis, activists mentioned.
Syrian Observatory mentioned authorities troops have withdrawn from a lot of the 2 southern provinces.
The Syrian military mentioned in a press release that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints got here below assault by “terrorists.” The military mentioned it was establishing a “robust and coherent defensive and safety belt within the space,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south.
The Syrian authorities has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since battle broke out in March 2011.
Diplomacy in Doha
The overseas ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, assembly in Qatar, known as for an finish to the hostilities. Turkey is a essential backer of the rebels.
Qatar’s prime diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to benefit from the lull in preventing in recent times to deal with the nation’s underlying issues. “Assad didn’t seize this chance to start out participating and restoring his relationship together with his folks,” he mentioned.
Sheikh Mohammed mentioned he was stunned by how shortly the rebels have superior and mentioned there’s a actual risk to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He mentioned the conflict may “harm and destroy what’s left if there isn’t a sense of urgency” to start out a political course of.
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Karam reported from London. Related Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Abby Sewell in Beirut; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar; and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
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