Syrian rebels capture Damascus: Is Assad dead? Suspected plane shootdown sparks speculation

Rebel forces entered the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday after a week-long lightning offensive, with no immediate signs of government forces in the city, according to insurgent sources cited by Reuters. With his grip on power crumbling, President Bashar al-Assad fled the city, boarding a plane to an unknown destination, top Syrian army officers told Reuters.

Syria's army command has reportedly informed officers that the Assad regime has fallen.

Is Assad dead?

Speculation about the whereabouts of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is mounting, both within and beyond the war-torn country. Unconfirmed reports state that Assad has been killed in an airplane crash.

There are conflicting reports regarding Bashar al-Assad's status. Some reports suggest that Assad died in a plane crash while fleeing Syria, but these claims lack confirmation from official sources. There are also conflicting reports coming out of his alleged flights to Russia and Jordan.

The Syrian government has denied reports that Assad is not in Damascus, and Israeli defense officials have stated he was still in the capital as of the evening of December 7, 2024.

However, without a formal assessment or official confirmation, his death has not been confirmed. The situation remains uncertain, with the consensus among US officials being that his death is a plausible scenario but not definitively established. 

 

3D images of open-source data available on the plane reportedly carrying Bashar Assad have surfaced. The plane was reportedly rapidly losing altitude before disappearing from radar.

 

Rebels in Syria proclaim end of 'dark era'

Syria’s army command has notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad’s rule has ended following a lightning rebel offensive, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move told Reuters.

"The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled. We declare Damascus free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad," rebels proclaimed, according to Al Jazeera.

Assad reportedly flew out of Damascus on Sunday for an unknown destination, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.

Syrian rebels said Damascus was “now free of Assad”.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel faction said in a statement, "We announce today, 12-8-2024, the end of this dark era and the beginning of a new era for Syria."

Meanwhile, Syrian prime minister, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, said on Sunday that he remained at home and was ready to support continuity of governance.

On the streets of the capital, thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom”, witnesses said.

Rebels in Syria have announced a new era in Syria after 50 years of Baath rule.

“After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement... we announce today, 12-8-2024, the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria.”

Syrian military and security forces have withdrawn from Damascus International Airport, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The war monitor, which relies on sources within Syria, reported that officers and soldiers abandoned the airport amid the rebel offensive.

The Assad Regime

Syria has been ruled by the Assad family for over five decades, with President Bashar al-Assad taking power in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez Assad.

According to the United Nations, Assad’s regime has been responsible for the deaths of more than 350,000 opponents, widespread imprisonment and torture, and the use of banned nerve gas against opposition-held areas to quash dissent.

The country erupted in anti-Assad protests in 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings across most of the Middle East. Assad’s harsh crackdown escalated into a full-scale civil war.

By 2015, opposition groups and Islamic State militants had gained control of large swathes of Syria. However, a Russian military intervention, marked by an intense aerial bombing campaign, reversed many of these gains and solidified Assad’s grip on power.

Efforts led by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, supported in part by Russia, eventually reduced the Islamic State to small desert enclaves. Since 2016, the conflict’s front lines had been mostly frozen, with Assad’s forces maintaining control over major cities.

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