Where is Assad? Rumours swirl as Syrian rebels claim they’ve toppled ‘tyrant’

Rebel fighters in Syria have claimed to have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, tell state TV they’ve ended his 25-year rule and freed political prisoners.

Reports suggest Assad – part of a 50-year family dynasty in Syria – has fled the capital Damascus by plane to an unknown location.

Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination early Sunday morning, according to senior army sources.

It is believed he was travelling on a Syrian Air plane which initially flew towards Syria’s coast, where the President has strong support.

But the aircraft then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction before disappearing off the map, tracking data from Flightradar shows. It is not clear who was on board, but Reuters is reporting rumours of a plane crash.

Syrians celebrate after the armed groups opposed to Bashar al-Assad’s regime took control of the city centre of Homs province on December 8 (Picture: Anadolu)

Rebel forces shoot in the air as they celebrate in the central Syrian city of Homs early on December 8, 2024, after they entered Syria’s third city overnight (Picture: AFP)

Crowds are gathering at the Syria-Lebanon border as people wait to go home. Many fled to Lebanon after Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

Syrians celebrated in the streets, with photos capturing jubilant scenes in Homs after rebel forces entered Syria’s third city overnight.

As Syrians expressed joy, Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said the country should have free elections so the people can choose who they want.

Early in the morning, crowds gathered in the Syrian capital for morning prayers, and celebrations. Cars honked their horns as locals chanted ‘God is Great’ and other slogans slamming Assad and his family.

Looters have also been reported in the Ministry of Defence headquarters and presidential palace, with some emerging carrying stacks of plates.

The sheer speed of the Assad regime’s collapse has shocked leaders across the world. The regime had strong support from Russia and Iran.

Assad has held an iron grip on the country since his father died (Picture: AP)

A statement from the Alawite sect, a core part of the support in Syria for Assad, urged young Syrians to be ‘calm, rational and prudent and not to be dragged into what tears apart the unity of our country’.

It added: ‘We were and still are advocates of peace and advocates of unity.’

Civil war broke out in Syria in 2011 after similar uprisings across the Middle East in the Arab Spring.

An uprising against the Assad regime was met with a brutal crackdown, leading to 14 years of conflict and a refugee crisis affecting millions of people.

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