Syrian rebels said they had ended the 24-year authoritarian rule of Bashar al-Assad, in the first address on state television after a lightning offensive that took the world by surprise.
Assad left Damascus early this morning in an unknown direction, two senior military officers told Reuters, while the rebels said they had entered the capital, where there were no soldiers at all.
Russia announced that Bashar al-Assad resigned and then left the country.
This ended the speculation about his supposed death. Reuters previously reported, citing two Syrian sources, that Assad may have been killed in the crash of the plane he used to flee the country.
Morning address to the nation
Syrian In the morning, the rebel forces stated in a televised announcement that they had overthrown the president of this country Bashar al-Assad.
Opposition fighters called on Syrian citizens to return to the country and declared the beginning of a "new era".
"Bashar al-Assad boarded the plane and went to an unknown destination," two senior military officers familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Hadi al-Bahra, who heads the Syrian political opposition coalition abroad, declared Damascus "liberated from Assad" and congratulated the Syrian people.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali has announced that he is staying in his home in the capital and is willing to work with the opposition to ensure that public institutions continue to function.
However, a video clip was published on social media in which the rebels take him out of his office and take him to one of the hotels.
At the same time, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the leader of the main opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, ordered the rebel fighters not to attack any public institutions and services.
According to Al Jazeera, after rebel forces entered the city, people gathered in the streets and squares to celebrate the end of the Assad family's 50-year rule in the country, shouting "Freedom! Freedom".
Ambassador and staff of the Serbian Embassy in Damascus relocated from Syria
Due to the escalation on the ground, the ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Damascus and the staff of the Embassy were temporarily moved from the territory of Syria today, Tanjug was told in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As stated, based on the assessment of direct threats, and bearing in mind the information from the field and the fact that the conditions in Damascus have significantly worsened, which has further called into question the basic security of the diplomatic staff, as well as the reduced possibility of providing consular services on the ground, temporarily relocation of members of the diplomatic mission was assessed as the most responsible solution.
Source: Reuters, Beta
