Syrian President Flees to Russia After Being Overthrown, Looting Occurs

(CLO) President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia after rebels took over the capital Damascus without resistance on Sunday, ending six decades of Syria under the Assad family regime.

Russia's TASS news agency quoted a Kremlin source as saying that Mr. Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow. Guided by humanitarian considerations, Russia granted them asylum.

"Russia has always spoken out in favor of a political solution to the Syrian crisis. We insist that the UN-mediated negotiations must resume," the source said.

Ousted President Bashar Assad of Syria. Photo: TASS

Excitement after President Assad was overthrown

For Syrians, the overthrow of the Assad regime brought an abrupt and unexpected end to a civil war that had been frozen for years, with hundreds of thousands killed, millions displaced, cities destroyed, and the economy crippled by unrest and sanctions.

“How many people are displaced around the world? How many are living in tents? How many are drowning at sea?” the mysterious rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani (also spelled al-Jolani, al-Jawlani or al-Julani) told a crowd at the Umayyad Mosque in central Damascus, referring to refugees who have died trying to reach Europe.

"A new history, my brothers, is being written in the entire region after this great victory," he said, adding that with efforts, Syria would become "a beacon for the Islamic nation".

Confused and elated prisoners poured out of the prison after rebels broke the locks on their cells. Videos showed prisoners released at dawn on Sunday running through the streets of Damascus.

“We have overthrown the regime!” one prisoner shouted, jumping for joy.

As the sun set in Damascus late Sunday for the first time without Assad, the roads leading into the city were largely deserted, save for motorbikes carrying armed men and rebel vehicles covered in mud for camouflage.

Prisoners are released, chaos and looting have appeared in Syria. Photo: Reuters

Several men could be seen looting a shopping mall on the road between the capital and the Lebanese border, stuffing their goods into plastic bags or loading them into pickup trucks. Numerous checkpoints along the road to Damascus were empty.

Many people were seen storming into the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, some carrying belongings from inside out.

According to two security sources, a thick column of black smoke rose from the Mazzeh neighborhood, where previous Israeli airstrikes targeted Syrian state security facilities.

Concerns about the transition of power

The Syrian rebel coalition says it is working to complete the transfer of power to a transitional governing body with executive powers.

"The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of fighting to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to jointly build a Syria worthy of the sacrifices of its people," the statement added.

Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, Assad's prime minister, has called for free elections and said he had been in contact with Golani - the head of al Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate - to discuss a transition period.

Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani addresses a crowd at the Ummayad Mosque in Damascus, Syria on December 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters

US President Joe Biden, in a televised address, welcomed Assad's fall but acknowledged that this was also a time of risk and uncertainty.

“As we all look to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and stakeholders in Syria to help them seize the opportunity to manage the risks,” Biden said.

French President Emmanuel Macron also welcomed the rebel uprising and called the Assad regime “barbaric”.

Not only in Syria, supporters of the uprising have flooded the country's embassies around the world, taking down the red, white and black flags of Assad's regime and replacing them with the blue, white and black flag of the opposition.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Assad's downfall was due to the blows Israel dealt to Iran and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On Sunday, rebels stormed the Iranian Embassy. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the fate of Syria was the sole responsibility of the Syrian people. Two Lebanese security sources said Hezbollah had already withdrawn all its forces from Syria on Saturday.

Hoang Anh (according to TASS, Reuters, AJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tong-thong-syria-tron-sang-nga-sau-khi-bi-lat-do-xuat-hien-tinh-trang-hon-loan-va-cuop-boc-post324692.html