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
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that its Houston division arrested 414 illegal immigrants in 2025 who were charged with or convicted of child sex crimes.
Israel faced an intensified wave of attacks Tuesday as Iran and Hezbollah launched what analysts describe as a coordinated barrage of missiles and drones, including cluster munitions, on the 11th day of Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion.
U.S. forces destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying boats near the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday as Washington moved to prevent Tehran from disrupting one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes, the Pentagon confirmed.
Iran’s newly installed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly wounded during the recent war but remains capable of carrying out his duties, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by The Jerusalem Post.
At least six people were killed and five others injured after a passenger bus burst into flames in western Switzerland, with authorities saying the blaze may have been deliberately set.
Christians in India voiced concern after lawmakers in the northern state of Bihar suggested introducing an anti-conversion law similar to legislation adopted in several other states.
Evangelical Christians in parts of Mexico are facing renewed persecution after cartel retaliation erupted following the killing of one of the country’s most notorious drug lords in a U.S.-backed military operation that left dozens of Mexican soldiers dead, Christian advocates say.