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
Israel is closely monitoring the expanding military confrontation between the United States and Iran but is not currently participating, an Israeli official said Sunday evening.
A federal appeals court has upheld the termination of in-state college tuition benefits for illegal immigrants in Texas, rejecting an attempt by students and advocacy groups to revive the state’s 24-year-old Dream Act.
The United States launched another wave of strikes against Iran late Sunday, targeting military sites near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz after Tehran attacked commercial shipping and widened its assault against American-aligned Gulf nations.
Israel will hold its next national election on October 27, 2026, after coalition leaders confirmed Sunday that the vote will proceed on the date originally established by law.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday after a weekend in which numerous people died in Russian air strikes and Kyiv’s counterattacks, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fresh changes to his war-torn nation’s government.
At least 27 people have been killed in a fire that tore through a bar in Bangkok, one of the world’s nightlife centers, Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.
French anti-terrorism prosecutors launched an investigation Sunday after weapons were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle near a synagogue in Sarcelles, a Paris suburb home to one of France’s largest Jewish communities, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people.