Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad flees country as rebels takes control of Damascus, PM confirms his location unknown

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec 8 fled the country to an unknown location as rebels announced on state television that they have overthrown Assad’s regime and freed Damascus.

On Dec 8, the rebellion led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) made their way to the capital city of Damascus and announced the “end of the era” and freed all jailed prisoners.

Speculations have heightened that his plane might have crashed or been shot down during his escape amid reports that the plane he was on went off the radar near the city of Homs.

According to an open-source data from online tracker Flightradar24.com the Syrian Air flight took off from Damascus airport around the time rebels took control of the capital.

The aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-76T, was initially headed towards Syria’s coastal region before abruptly reversing course and flying in the opposite direction for several minutes before vanishing from radar.

Amid all the fiasco, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said the government was ready to hand over the power.

The Army and security forces had abandoned Damascus International Airport, the news agency AFP reported quoting a war monitor.

Syria is undergoing political unrest for the first time since the civil war began in 2011, with Turkey-backed rebel groups and forces surrounding the Bashar Al-Assad government, which is supported by Russia and Iran.

The attack that started on Nov 27 is being led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist rebel alliance that originates from the Syrian faction of Al-Qaeda but has recently attempted to soften its image.

Over the past week, rebel forces launched a fierce onslaught throughout Syria to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

The Islamist rebels' attack has been so fast that they took control of Hama and Syria's second city, Aleppo in a brief time.

On Dec 8 morning, the Islamist rebel group said its forces were moving into Damascus.

Shortly after, they announced an "end of the era of tyranny in the prison of Sednaya" as the rebels broke into the jail that has become a symbol for the darkest abuses of the Syrian regime, AFP reported.

Crowds flooded the central squares of Damascus, cheering and celebrating the fleeing of President Assad. Reportedly, gunshots were heard on streets in some areas.

"My feelings are indescribable," said Omar Daher, a 29-year-old lawyer.

"After the fear that Assad and his father imposed on us for so many years, I can't believe this moment, he was quoted as saying. He called Assad “a criminal, a tyrant, and a dog” as his father was killed by security forces and brother remains in detention.

Earlier, the rebel group claimed they had captured Homs believed to be a strategic city. However, the Syrian defense ministry denied this and said the situation in Homs was "safe and stable".

According to a source close to Hezbollah, fighters of a key Assad ally had left their positions around the Syrian capital, reported news agency AFP.

The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, had earlier said that the attack was aimed at removing Bashar al-Assad from power and putting an end to his rule in Syria.

The rebellion against Bashar al-Assad regime began 13 years ago which started as a peaceful uprising against him and eventually turning into a full-scale civil war that devastated Syria.

Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump has said that the US should "not get involved" in the Syria situation in a post on Truth Social.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also commented on the situation, saying it was "inadmissible" to allow a "terrorist group to take control" of Syrian territory. Moscow and Tehran have supported Assad's government and army during the war.