Assad’s rule ends, political prisoners released, ‘Freedom’ chants fill the air

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country of Syria for an unknown destination, endinng a fifty year regime of the . The Opposition forces in war-torn Syria entered the capital city of Damascus, early on Sunday. 

Syrian Opposition said on Sunday they have begun entering the capital Damascus without any sign of army deployments. The developments mark the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule since Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

“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,” they added. Sednaya is a large military prison on the outskirts Damascus where the Syrian government detained thousands.

The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too.

Eight key countries gathered with the U.N. special envoy on Syria on the sidelines of the Doha Summit for two hours of discussions Saturday night, and more will follow. The UN envoy seeks urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.”

Syria War Live: Bashar al-Assad, 59, assumed power in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria since 1971. Born in Damascus, he studied medicine at the University of Damascus and later trained in ophthalmology in London.

However, following the death of his older brother, Bassel, who was initially groomed to succeed their father, Bashar returned to Syria and became the heir apparent.

Assad’s presidency has been largely defined by the brutal civil war that erupted in 2011 after Syrians demanded democratic reforms.

Assad’s government responded with violent repression, leading to widespread accusations of human rights abuses, including the use of chemical weapons, the repression of Kurdish populations, and forced disappearances throughout the ongoing conflict.

Syria War Live: Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma told Al Jazeera that the Syrian army essentially “melted away” in the face of the advancing rebels due to a lack of funds in Damascus and widespread exhaustion.

He pointed out that the al-Assad government was crippled by sanctions, with the US controlling most of Syria’s oil and gas resources. Additionally, Israel’s relentless strikes on Syrian forces, particularly targeting Hezbollah and Iranian militias, had further weakened the army.

Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle says the end of al-Assad’s rule must be an “opportunity for the Syrian people to decide their own future, free of repression and sectarian violence”.

HTS, the dominant armed opposition faction that led the offensive that toppled the Syrian president, is designated as a “terrorist” group by the US.

“Having worked tirelessly over the past decade as an advocate for the Free Syria movement in Congress, I am relieved to see that the butcher has fallen,” Boyle said in a social media post.

Syria War Live: Jordan’s state-run news agency, Petra, quotes an unidentified government official as saying that Amman is “monitoring the fast-moving events” in Syria.

“We stress the importance of the security, stability and unity of Syria and urge our northern neighbours to reclaim the effectiveness of their institutions,” the officials said.

“Work is ongoing to strengthen the state of security and stability in the region.”