Syrian capital falls to rebels as al-Assad leaves Syria
China DailyXinhua | Updated: 2024-12-09 06:42 Locals rally in a street in Damascus, Syria, Dec 8, 2024. DAMASCUS -- Armed opposition forces seized full control of Damascus on Sunday, ending over five decades of the Assad family rule. Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Assad had "decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to transfer power peacefully." In Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham head Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani, spearheading the lightning assault, said Mohammad Ghazi Al-Jallali, appointed prime minister by al-Assad in September, would temporarily oversee public institutions. Meanwhile, the Syrian National Coalition, an alliance of opposition groups formed in exile following the 2011 uprising against Assad, vowed Sunday to continue working towards the transfer of authority to a transitional governing body with full executive powers, with the goal of ushering in a free, democratic, and pluralistic Syria.