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08-12-2024
DAMASCUS: Rebel fighters declared the Syrian capital of Damascus “liberated” in a televised statement carried on state television on Sunday.
“Damascus has been liberated and the tyrant Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown, and oppressed prisoners in regime prisons have been released,” a spokesperson said reading from a statement surrounded by roughly a dozen other rebels.
“We ask people and fighters to protect all property in Free Syria…long live Syria free for all Syrians of all sects,” he added.
The rebels moved to capture the state media offices early on Sunday morning after entering Damascus.
Syrian rebels previously claimed they had taken control of the notorious Saydnaya Military Prison north of Damascus, according to a statement on Sunday. It is not clear how many other prisons in the capital.
Amnesty International dubbed Saydnaya “the human slaughterhouse” in a 2017 report after extensively documenting mass hangings there.
A report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in July 2023 highlighted the “continuing widespread and systematic patterns of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including enforced disappearances” inside Syrian detention facilities including Saydnaya.
Rebel fighters could be seen on the grounds of the Syrian presidential palace on Sunday.
Footage verified by media showed fighters by a gate house located on the southern edge of the palace grounds.
The men can be seeing firing guns in the air in celebration on the otherwise deserted entrance area.
An active search is underway for Bashar al-Assad with rebels questioning Syrian military officers and intelligence officials who might have knowledge about his movements, according to a source familiar with the rebels’ operations.
Rebel forces declared Damascus “free” on Sunday, claiming Assad had fled the capital.
The Syrian leader has not been seen or heard from publicly since rebels entered the capital early on Sunday morning.
One US official told CNN that events in Syria mark the collapse of “Iran’s artifice” across the Middle East.
The potential toppling of the Iran-backed Assad would follow the decimation of key Tehran proxies Hezbollah and Hamas in conflicts with Israel over the past 14 months.
US President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring” developments in Syria, according to a statement.
“President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners,” National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett wrote on X.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said the government stands ready “to cooperate with any leadership the people choose,” in a recorded message on Sunday morning.
“We are ready to cooperate with any leadership the people choose, offering all possible support to ensure a smooth and systematic transition of government functions, preserving state facilities,” he said.
Ghazi al-Jalali called on Syrians to protect public facilities, saying they belonged to all citizens.
“We extend our hands to every Syrian citizen who is concerned about safeguarding this nation’s assets… I urge all citizens not to harm any public property because, ultimately, it belongs to them.” (Int’l News Desk)
