Damascus: Amidst the civil war in Syria, the opposition forces have taken over the major cities of the country including Aleppo, Hama, Daraa, Homs and now Damascus. As rebels take control of the Syrian capital, there were reports of President Bashar Al-Assad’s fleeing the country. In a major update amid the ongoing Syria Civil War, unconfirmed reports suggest that the plane of Syria President Bashar Al-Assad in which he fled from Damascus, has been shot down. However, no news agency, the government or opposition forces has confirmed this report.
Syrian President Assad’s Plan Shot Down Amid Civil War: Unconfirmed Reports
As the opposition forces took over Damascus and ‘freed’ the capital of Syria from Bashar Al-Assad’s rule, reports suggested that Assad took a plane from the Damascus International Airport and fled to an undisclosed destination. As per latest unconfirmed reports, Assad’s plane has been shot down. According to the unconfirmed information being circulated on social media, there was a sudden descent of the plane that was reportedly carrying Assad after it disappeared from radar and dropped suddenly from an altitude of over 3,650 meters to 1,070 meters in a few minutes, just outside Lebanese airspace north of Akkar.
The unconfirmed report further said that the 3D flight radar data of the plane suspected of carrying Bashar al-Assad indicates that it crashed. The Syrian Air IL-76 aircraft’s altitude dropped suddenly, and it seems it was shot down.
‘President Bashar Assad Overthrown’: Syrian State TV Issues Video Statement
Syrian state TV has aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad was overthrown and all prisoners have been set free. The man who read a statement said the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus is calling on all opposition fighters and citizens to preserve state institutions of “the free Syrian state.” “Long live the free Syrian state that is to all Syrians and all” their sects and ethnic groups, they said.
Where is Bashar Al-Assad?
Bashar Al-Assad, the President of Syria boarded a plane from the Damascus International Airport and left for an unknown destination. Reports suggested that in the wake of a deepening power crisis in the war-ton country, Bashar Al-Assad fled to Russia, however, this remains unconfirmed, with no statement from the Syrian government. The Opposition forces have announced a $10 million reward for anyone who helps capture Bashar al-Assad. On the other hand, the Syrian Prime Minister has also agreed on carrying out a government handover process.
Syrian PM Ready for Govt Handover
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said in a video statement that the government is ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government. “I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.
Who Are the Rebels, What’s Happening in Russia?
This is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when the country’s troops recaptured the area following a years-long siege. The approaching fighters are led by the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Both have been entrenched in the northwest. They launched the shock offensive on Nov. 27 with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest.
The HTS has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. But the group said in recent years it cut ties with al-Qaida, and experts say HTS has sought to remake itself in recent years by focusing on promoting civilian government in their territory as well as military action. HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government.
The rebels who have retained control of Idlib since 2020, advanced eastward toward Aleppo in what came as a “surprise attack” for many, on Nov 27. Two days later, the insurgents gained control of Aleppo, forcing the military to announce a “temporary withdrawal”. On Nov 28, the Syrian military confirmed the deaths of dozens of soldiers in the fighting. After reigniting the conflict which laid dormant for years, the militants, on Dec 1 reportedly turned their approach southward and attempted to seize control of Hama, a city south of Aleppo. On Dec 5, the rebels declared their victory over Hama.
A few hours before capturing Damascus, opposition forces seized the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as government forces abandoned it. The city holds the significance of a strategic location as it stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base.
(The report of Bashar Al-Assad’s plane being shot down is unconfirmed.)
(Inputs from AP)
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