Syria: Assad Flees as Insurgents Seize Damascus

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Facts

  • Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad reportedly fled Damascus to Moscow on Sunday, ending his family's 54-year rule after militant forces captured the capital and called on Syrian citizens to preserve "the free Syrian state."[1][2][3][4]
  • This comes after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied groups launched an offensive from Idlib on Nov. 27, quickly seizing Aleppo, Hama, and Homs with minimal resistance from government forces.[5][6]
  • Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said that communication with al-Assad had been lost on Saturday night and that the government was ready to cooperate with the insurgents and facilitate a peaceful transfer of power.[1][7]
  • Opposition forces reportedly flung open detention facilities, including the Sednaya military prison, and set all prisoners free. According to rights groups, at least 100K people have been missing since 2011, when civil war erupted in Syria.[7][8]
  • White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said, "President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners."[9]
  • In 2000, al-Assad took over the reins of the country after the death of his father, who seized power in an internal party coup in 1970. The civil war, which escalated from pro-democracy protests and Assad's subsequent violent crackdown, has resulted in over 500K deaths and displaced 12M Syrians.[10][11]

Sources: [1]FOX News, [2]NBC, [3]Al Jazeera (a), [4]BBC News, [5]Middle East Eye, [6]Al Jazeera (b), [7]The Guardian, [8]Reuters, [9]X, [10]CBS and [11]Middle East Monitor.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Al Jazeera, BBC News and DW. Assad's dictatorship and violent repression against his people is finally over. His family ruled Syria for more than 50 years with an iron fist, making it a farm for Iran's greed and a base for the illegal amphetamine Captagon that filled their coffers. Assad — with the backing of Russia and Iran — had bled the country dry, but today, it can look forward with cautious hope to peace, reconciliation, dignity, and inclusion for all Syrians.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Washington Post and Frontline. Syria's takeover by rebels with historical ties to al-Qaeda raises serious concerns about the country ravaged by war and split among different armed factions. Their rapid advance may create a dangerous power vacuum, destabilize the region, and could lead to the establishment of an extremist Islamic state. Syrians, not radicals, should decide their country's future to ensure an orderly political transition.