President Assad's regime collapses?
Reuters reported that the Syrian army said on December 8 that President Assad's regime had ended. But later, the army announced that it was continuing anti-terrorist operations in the main cities of Hama, Homs and the Deraa countryside.
"Damascus is in our hands. President Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown, all prisoners have been released from prison in Damascus," a representative of the rebel alliance said on television.
According to Reuters, this is a turning point for Syria, which has been devastated by more than 13 years of war, and marks a shocking moment for the Middle East, causing more instability as the war in Gaza continues and raising concerns about a new wave of instability in the region.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the vanguard of rebel advances across western Syria, was formerly an al Qaeda affiliate.
HTS is Syria's most powerful rebel group and some Syrians still fear it will impose harsh Islamist rule or incite revenge attacks.
Countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt – both close US allies – view Islamist militant groups as an existential threat, so HTS could face resistance from regional powers.
President Assad's whereabouts unknown
According to two senior Syrian military officers, President Assad boarded a plane leaving Damascus for an unknown location on the morning of December 8.
According to data from the Flightradar website, a Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport at a time when the capital was believed to have been seized by rebels.
The plane initially flew toward the Syrian coast, a stronghold of Mr. Assad’s Alawite sect, but then abruptly turned around and flew in the opposite direction for several minutes before disappearing from radar screens. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Assad was on board.
Two sources from Syria said that it is highly likely that the plane crashed, because according to data from the Flightradar website, the reason the plane suddenly turned around and disappeared from the radar screen is still a mystery.
"It disappeared from radar, maybe the landing gear was turned off, but I believe the greater possibility is that the plane was shot down...", a source from Syria said without further explanation.
Amid the chaos, Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said Syria should hold free elections so that Syrians can choose who they want.
But that requires a smooth transition in a country with a complex set of competing interests, from Islamists to groups with ties to the United States, Russia and Türkiye.
Prime Minister al-Jalali also said he had contacted rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani to discuss the management of the current transition period, marking a notable development in efforts to shape Syria's political future.
According to the White House, US President Joe Biden and his team are monitoring "unusual events in Syria" and have been in contact with partners in the region.
The Syrian civil war erupted in 2011 as an uprising against the regime of President Assad. The front lines of Syria’s complex civil war had been quiet for years. Then Islamists once linked to al Qaeda suddenly rose up, posing the biggest challenge yet to President Assad, who had survived years of brutal war and international isolation with the help of Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
But President Assad's allies have been weakened by other conflicts, leaving the Syrian leader vulnerable to blows from his opponents.
