Syrian rebels claim President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country; Video captures people celebrating

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad left Damascus for an undisclosed destination on Sunday amid a rebel offensive, Reuters reported.

The news agency cited two senior military officers, whom it did not name, as rebels who the Syrian groups said entered the capital, Damascus, early today.

The development came hours after rebels claimed to have captured Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, in the north of the country.

Hadi al-Bahra Syrian, the head of Syria’s main opposition group abroad, said that Damascus is now “without Bashar al-Assad”, according to Reuters.

Al Jazeera reported that Syrian rebels said they had captured Damascus.

“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement. “We declare Damascus liberated from dictator Bashar al-Assad,” he/she said.

Rebels earlier claimed to have entered the capital and captured the notorious Sayednaya military prison, north of Damascus, CNN reported.

CNN cited a Military Operations Command post on Telegram that said, “We declare the city of Damascus liberated from dictator Bashar al-Assad.” “To the displaced around the world, a free Syria is waiting for you,” the statement said.

The civil war in the country, which had been dormant for a few years, has resumed and within a few weeks, Syrian rebel groups have captured several major cities such as Aleppo, Homs and Daraa.

The pro-government Sham FM radio station reported that militants had infiltrated the towns of al-Rastan and Tell Bissa, north of Homs.

However, the Syrian Defense Ministry has denied reports of the withdrawal of troops from Homs.

“Reports circulating in some media outlets and resources linked to terrorist organizations regarding the withdrawal of any units of our armed forces from the city of Homs and its neighborhoods are not true,” it said in a statement posted on its social media page. “

Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali said he/she is not planning to leave his/her home because his/her goal is to ensure that public institutions continue to function.

“I urge everyone to think rationally and think about their country,” al-Jalali said. “We extend our hand to the opposition who have extended their hand and claimed that they will not harm any person in this country,” Al Jazeera quoted him/her as saying.

Videos posted online, which Al Jazeera said it had verified, show several people in Umayyad Square standing on an abandoned military tank and singing in celebration.

On 5 December, the Syrian Army Command said that militants had infiltrated several areas of Hama city. Government forces were redeployed outside the city, according to its statement.

On 7 December, the Syrian Defense Ministry announced that military units operating in the south of the country were being reorganized in accordance with the army’s strategic plan.

Iran’s envoy to Beirut said on Saturday that developments in Syria were a “threat” to the entire region, IRNA news agency reported.

The Syrian government is engaged in fighting terrorist groups who launched an attack on November 27 from their stronghold in the western province of Idlib.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Tehran warned Syrian President Bashar Assad last week that aid to his/her government would be reduced in the fight against terrorist armed groups.

According to sources, Iran has recalled its senior officers posted in eastern Syria. The newspaper also said the Iranian side accused Syrian troops of retreating.

According to the Washington Post, the rebel advance is being led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group once linked to al-Qaeda. A newly declared rebel group, the Southern Operations Room, said on Saturday that its forces had captured the southern city of Daraa.

Meanwhile, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Russia, Turkey and Iran expressed their support for a cessation of hostilities in Syria to pave the way for starting a political process, according to a joint statement issued after their meeting. According to the Syrian crisis in Doha.

Russia urged its citizens to leave Syria “on commercial flights through existing airports”.