The Syrian government appears to have fallen after a lightning offensive by rebels.
President Bashar al Assad fled Damascus on a plane for an unknown destination, according to two senior Syrian army officers speaking to the Reuters news agency, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Thousands of Syrians, in cars and on foot, have congregated at a main square in Damascus, chanting for freedom, according to the Reuters news agency.
Thousands also poured into the streets in Homs after the army withdrew from the city, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free.”
Syria’s army command has now notified officers that his 24-year rule has ended, an officer who was informed of the move told Reuters.
Hours earlier, the rebels said they had gained complete control of the key city of Homs after only a day of fighting.
The rebels, made up of various opposition groups but led by a one which has its origins in Al-Qaeda, said this morning they are continuing work to complete the transfer of power in Syria to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.
“The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people,” the coalition said in a statement, adding it is a new birth for “great Syria.”
Syria’s prime minister said he is ready to hand over the government to the opposition in a peaceful transition.
“I am here in my home,” Ghazi al Jalali said.
“I have not left it and do not intend to leave, except in a peaceful manner that ensures the continued functioning of public institutions and state facilities, promoting security and reassurance for our fellow citizens.”
He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
He did not comment on reports Mr Assad has fled Damascus.
Thousands celebrating in the streets
Soon after, the rebels announced it was prohibited to go near public institutions that will remain under the supervision of the “former prime minister”.
Thousands of Syrians, in cars and on foot, have congregated at a main square in Damascus chanting for freedom, according to Reuters.
Yesterday’s advances on the capital marked the first time the rebels reached the outskirts of the city since 2018, when government forces recaptured the area after a years-long siege.
In Homs, thousands more poured on to the streets after the army withdrew from the city, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free”, and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al Assad.”
Protesters brought down a statue of the late father of Syria’s president in a main square few miles from Damascus city centre.
Incredible footage circulating on social media purport to show people looting the Ministry of Defence in Damascus and families wandering around the presidential palace to emerge with stacks of plates and other household items. The videos haven’t been independently verified.
Soldiers were reported yesterday to have deserted their posts and changed into civilian clothes as the rebels closed in.
Mohammed Amer Al-Oulabi, 44, who works in the electricity sector, was one of many celebrating on the streets.
“From Idlib to Damascus, it only took them (the opposition forces) a few days, thank God. May God bless them, the heroic lions who made us proud,” he said.
Protesters on Saturday brought down a statue of the president’s late father in a main square in a suburb a few miles from the centre of the capital.
The country’s international airport in Damascus has been abandoned and rebels say they have entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and freed inmates there.
“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,” said the rebels.
Gunfire has been reported in the centre of Damascus, two residents told Reuters on Sunday, although it was not immediately clear what the source of the shooting was.
Hayat Tahrir al Sham commander Abu Mohammed al Golani, the main rebel leader, called the capture of Homs a historic moment and urged fighters not to harm “those who drop their arms.”
They have also claimed Deir el Zor in the east, and Suweida, Quneitra and Deraa in the south.
‘Not our friend’
US President Joe Biden and his team are monitoring “extraordinary events” and are in touch with regional partners, the White House said this morning.
Daniel Shapiro, from the US Department of Defense, said they would continue to maintain their presence in eastern Syria “solely to ensure the enduring defeat” of the Islamic State.
President-elect Donald Trump said the US should not get involved in the conflict.
“Syria is a mess,” he posted on his social media site Truth Social, adding the country is “not our friend.”
@Sky News excluding headline