08 Dec 24. – Extract- The FT reported today that Syrian rebels seized Damascus on Sunday as President Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed in the face of the insurgents’ stunning offensive across the country. The rebels said in a statement that “the city of Damascus is free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad” and that “Assad has fled” after various factions encircled the capital from the north and the south. The whereabouts of Assad were unclear, with reports that he had fled, as the rebel onslaught brought an ignominious end to a family dynasty that has ruled Syria for more than 50 years. Videos sent to the FT by a Damascus resident purportedly showed people inside the presidential palace, rummaging through rooms and smashing pictures of the Assad family. A man dressed in civilian clothing appeared on Syrian state TV on Sunday morning, declaring that the rebels had “liberated” Damascus, and released detainees from “regime prisons”. He called on fighters to “protect the properties of the free Syrian state”. The speaker was flanked by eight other men, also in civilian clothes. Several of the men had their arms around each others’ shoulders. “It’s something historical. No one has suffered as much as the Syrian people.” He added that rebel militants were posted outside banks and other public institutions to guard them. The downfall of the Assad regime would usher in a period of huge uncertainty for Syria, a nation shattered and fragmented after 13 years of civil war, and for the wider region. The country shares borders with Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. Rebel groups have clashed with each other in the past. The rebel offensive has been led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist movement that was confined to Syria’s north-west province of Idlib before beginning its offensive 12 days ago. The group, which was once an affiliate of al-Qaeda, rocked the country by seizing Aleppo, Syria’s second city, within 48 hours and then marching southwards towards the capital. It has been working with Turkish-backed rebels who operate under the umbrella of the Syrian National Army, but Syria is home to myriad factions and the degree of co-ordination between them all is unclear. As rebels entered the palace, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said he was ready to work with any leadership chosen by the people and called for unity, saying “Syria is for all Syrians”. “I am in my home and I have not left,” he said in a video statement. “We are ready to co-operate and all the properties of the people and the institutions of the Syrian state must be preserved,” he said. “They belong to all Syrians.” Jalali said he last had contact with Assad on Saturday evening and has no idea where he is. In an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya later on Sunday morning, Jalali said he has been in touch with HTS leader Jolani to discuss a transition. There was no official statement by the Syrian presidency, the military or state media about the Assad or the situation in the country. Al-Ekhbaria, one state-run TV channel, had been broadcasting pre-recorded footage of Syrian architecture set to light guitar music. (Source: FT.com)