by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Syria’s 50-year Assad dynasty abruptly ended this weekend when a lightning 10-day rebel offensive overran government-held territory and seized Damascus with little resistance. Bashar al-Assad, who ruled for nearly 25 years, fled by plane to an unknown destination as rebels took the capital.
Witnesses reported that thousands poured into the city’s main square, waving flags and chanting “freedom” as rebels broke through the city gates on Sunday and Assad’s forces fled the streets.
Rebel seized control of state media offices in Damascus “to broadcast the victory announcement over Assad,” featuring men declaring that President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown and all detainees set free.
The man delivering the statement said the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus, an opposition group, urged all opposition fighters and citizens to safeguard the institutions of “the free Syrian state.”
“We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison,” the rebels said.
Damascus’s fall followed the swift capture of Homs, a strategic crossroads linking the capital to coastal government strongholds, which rebels seized late Saturday in under 24 hours of combat.
After government troops fled the city, thousands of residents filled the streets, dancing and chanting, “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad.”
Once Homs fell under rebel control, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), declared that the rebels were ready to seize the entire country, promising “the end of the criminal regime is near.”
The regime’s sudden collapse reshaped the Middle East, ending the Assad family’s decades-long rule and delivering a sharp blow to Russia and Iran, who have now lost a key regional ally.
In one suburb, a statue of Hafez al-Assad was brought down and destroyed, while rebels secured control over the entire southwest within 24 hours.
The rebel factions posted on Telegram, “After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and (forced) displacement… we announce today the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
German authorities have launched an investigation after a protester threw red liquid over Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi in Berlin, where he had denounced a ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
Christian advocates have urged legislators in Pakistan’s Punjab province to approve child marriage legislation in a country where millions of girls are married as children.
Authorities in the Philippines reported ash emission from Mount Kanlaon on Saturday morning, with volcanic ash drifting westward toward nearby communities.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Saturday he ordered his envoys not to travel to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials.
Britain and France signed a new three-year agreement Thursday aimed at curbing migrants attempting the often deadly Channel crossing, as Europe faces a record influx of people fleeing war, persecution, and poverty.
Christians have expressed concern about the plight of Egyptian prisoner Saeid Mansour Abdulraziq, who converted from Islam to Christianity in 2016, joining the Russian Orthodox Church.
Christians in an area of Java, Indonesia’s most populous island, are weighing their options after authorities evicted worshipers following protests by residents against their church presence, Christian sources told Worthy News Thursday.