Crowds have gathered in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday to celebrate the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government.
The streets were filled with chants, prayers, and the occasional gunfire as opposition fighters entered the capital following a stunning advance.
Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian opposition war monitor, reported that Assad had fled Damascus early Sunday morning.
“Assad took a flight from Damascus and left early Sunday,” Abdurrahman said. There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government, and Assad’s whereabouts remain unknown.
This marked the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops had recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital after a prolonged siege.
The night before, opposition forces had captured the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest city, as government forces abandoned it.
The rapidly unfolding events have sent shockwaves across the region. Lebanon announced the closure of all its land border crossings with Syria, except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan also closed a border crossing with Syria.
In response to the escalating situation, the command of the Syrian armed opposition announced it would impose a curfew in Damascus starting at 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, lasting until 5 a.m. on Monday.
The Military Operations Administration, which posted the decision on Telegram, did not provide a reason for the curfew.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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