Syrian rebels have taken control of Damascus and declared the fall of Assad's regime.

Syrian rebels entered Damascus on the night of December 8. In the morning, they appeared on television and announced that they had taken control of the Syrian capital.

They claim that 24 years of Assad's rule have come to an end.

The dictatorship, which Russia has defended in this Middle Eastern country for nearly 10 years, has been destroyed in just two weeks. People are taking to the streets in Syria to celebrate.

According to the Saudi channel "Al-Hadath," government armed forces have left Damascus. The Telegram channel of the unified command of armed groups "Al-Fath al-Mubin" states that state institutions remain "under the supervision of the former Prime Minister until their official transfer to the new authorities." Approaching the buildings is prohibited.

The Prime Minister of Assad's government, Muhammad Ghazi al-Jalali, announced that he is ready to peacefully transfer power to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people.

"Syria can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbors and the world. This depends on the leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with the new authorities to provide them with all opportunities," the Prime Minister wrote.

The whereabouts of Bashar Assad are unknown. According to Reuters, the Syrian leader, along with his family, left Damascus and may have been on board an Il-76 aircraft that departed from the city airport.

BILD reports that a private Embraer Legacy 600 jet, likely belonging to Assad, took off from Damascus on the evening of December 7 and landed in Abu Dhabi. Relatives of the Syrian dictator may have been on board, while he himself, according to Bloomberg, is in Iran.

It is also possible that Assad is in Russia or heading there. The Wall Street Journal previously reported, citing Syrian and Arab officials, that a few days ago, Assad's wife and their three children had already fled to Russia.

The civil war in Syria has been ongoing since 2011. Russian troops and the Wagner Group have fought on the side of Bashar Assad's regime.

Military analyst Andriy Tsapliyenko notes that in December 2017, exactly seven years ago, Putin flew to Syria and stated, "If the terrorists raise their heads again," the Russian army from military bases in Tartus and Khmeimim "will strike them with blows they have not yet seen."

Today, the Russian army is fleeing from Tartus and Khmeimim. As the journalist notes, the fall of Assad's regime is the beginning of the downfall of Putin's regime, and this is felt in the West.

Background. The day before, Bloomberg reported that Bashar Assad reached out through intermediaries to Trump for help. The Syrian dictator allegedly stated that he was ready to make a deal and cease support for "Hezbollah."

Trump, who was in Paris at the time, responded in a social media post. He wrote that "Russia has lost 600,000 soldiers in Ukraine and is unable to protect Assad's government" and that the U.S. should not interfere in events in Syria. "Let everything take its course," he commented.