Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left Damascus; Rebels advance

BEIRUT – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane and left Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they entered the capital with no sign of army action.

“We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of the release of our prisoners and their chains and proclaim the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya Prison,” the rebels said.

Sednaya is a large military prison on the outskirts of Damascus where the Syrian government held thousands.

According to the website Flightradar, a Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reportedly taken by rebels.

More:What is happening in Syria? What you should know about the complex, long-simmering civil war

The plane initially flew toward the Syrian coastal region, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for several minutes before disappearing from the map.

Reuters could not immediately determine who was on board.

The head of Syria’s largest opposition group abroad, Hadi al-Bahra Syrian, also said on Sunday that Damascus was now “without Bashar al-Assad.”

Just hours earlier, rebels announced they had gained full control of the key city of Homs after just a day of fighting, leaving Assad’s 24-year rule hanging by a thread.

More:Syrian rebels capture the key city of Homs and set their sights on Damascus

Loud sounds of gunfire could be heard in central Damascus, two residents said Sunday, although it was not immediately clear where the shooting came from.

In rural areas southwest of the capital, local youth and former rebels took advantage of the loss of authority to take to the streets and resist the authoritarian rule of the Assad family.

The residents of Homs dance in the streets

Thousands of Homs residents poured into the streets after the army withdrew from the city center, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad”.

Rebels fired into the air in celebration and youths tore down posters of the Syrian president, whose territorial control has collapsed in a dizzying week-long military retreat.

The fall of Homs gives the insurgents control of Syria’s strategic heartland and a key highway junction, separating Damascus from the coastal region that is the stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect and where his Russian allies have a naval base and an air base.

The capture of Homs is also a powerful symbol of the rebel movement’s dramatic comeback in the 13-year conflict. Large parts of Homs were destroyed years ago by a grueling siege war between the rebels and the army. The fighting crushed the insurgents, who were driven out.

More:‘Your time has come’: Syrian rebels capture second city Hama as thousands flee

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the main rebel leader, called the capture of Homs a historic moment and urged fighters not to harm “those who drop their weapons.”

Rebels freed thousands of prisoners from the city prison. The security forces quickly left after burning their documents.

Demonstrators demonstrate in Damascus

Residents of many districts of Damascus protested against Assad on Saturday evening, and security forces were either unwilling or unable to crack down.

Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement early Sunday that operations to “completely liberate” the countryside around Damascus were underway and rebel forces were focused on the capital.

A statue of Assad’s father, the late President Hafez al-Assad, was toppled and torn apart in a suburb.

The Syrian army said it was strengthening around Damascus, and state television reported Saturday that Assad remained in the city.

Outside the city, rebels swept across the southwest for 24 hours and gained control.

This story has been updated with new information.

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left Damascus; Rebels advance

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