Published on 08/12/2024 08:55
Updated on 08/12/2024 10:57
Reading time: 1min – video: 1min
VIDEO. In Syria, rebel groups claim the capture of Damascus and say that Bashar al-Assad “flee”
VIDEO. In Syria, rebel groups claim the capture of Damascus and say that Bashar al-Assad “flee”
(FRANCEINFO)
They launched an appeal “to return to Syria free” to nationals displaced abroad by the conflict, which has left half a million dead since 2011.
Rebels led by radical Islamists announced on Syrian public television the fall of the president and the “liberation” from the capital Damascus, Sunday December 8, after a dazzling offensive which ended more than five decades of rule by the al-Assad family. They had announced earlier today, on the Telegram application, “the escape” of the president and proclaimed “the free city of Damascus”.
Since the start of their offensive on November 27 in northwestern Syria, the rebels have quickly conquered several major key cities, announcing that they are targeting Damascus and want to overthrow the Syrian president. They launched an appeal “to return to Syria free” to nationals displaced abroad by the conflict, which has left half a million dead since 2011.
“After fifty years of oppression under reign of [parti] Baath, and thirteen years of crime, tyranny and displacement [depuis le début de la guerre en 2011]today we announce the end of this dark era and the beginning of a new era for Syria.”the rebels declared. In a video posted on his Facebook account, Syrian Prime Minister Mohamed al-Jalali said he was ready to cooperate with any new “leadership” chosen by the people. He specified that he would be in his offices at government headquarters on Sunday morning for any procedure of “handover” of power.
