Syrian dictator Bashar Assad flees into exile as Islamist rebels conquer country

In a stunning turn of events, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has reportedly fled Syria after rebels stormed the capital city of Damascus. Assad, who has been accused of using chemical weapons on his own population multiple times, left with his British-born wife, Asma al-Assad, and their three children, according to Syrian television reports. The destination of their escape remains unknown at this time.

The Assad family has ruled Syria for over 50 years, with Bashar Assad inheriting the presidency from his father in 2000. The civil war in Syria, which has lasted for 13 years, saw Islamist rebels attempting to overthrow the Assad regime. The collapse of the Assad dynasty’s rule would mark a significant shift in power dynamics in the Middle East.

The rebel forces, led by the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), managed to dislodge Assad’s Iran-backed regime. HTS, formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, played a pivotal role in evicting Assad from power. The leader of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, aims to establish a totalitarian Islamist regime in Syria.

Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists during the Arab Spring protests in 2011 sparked the civil war, leading to the deaths of over 500,000 people. The United Nations recently announced that it has stopped tracking the rising death toll in Syria.

In 2015, Assad’s regime was on the brink of collapse when Russia intervened to support the dictatorship. Iran and Hezbollah also backed Assad’s regime, but the rebel forces managed to capture key Syrian cities, alarming both Putin and Iran. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2254, calling for a cease-fire, UN-run elections, and a new constitution, which Assad rejected.

The origins of Assad’s downfall can be traced back to a group of schoolboys in Daraa, who wrote graffiti on a wall calling for the regime’s overthrow in 2011. The violent response by Syrian officials, including torture of the boys, sparked widespread protests that eventually led to the civil war.

Assad’s departure from Syria marks a significant moment in the country’s history, with the future political landscape remaining uncertain. The international community will closely monitor the developments in Syria following Assad’s flight from the country.