Syria has fallen! Militants have taken control of the country's capital.
December 8, 2024, marked a dramatic turn in the protracted Syrian conflict. Anti-government factions, including Islamist groups, announced they had taken control of Damascus following a rapid offensive that began in late November. News agencies Reuters, TASS, and Al Hadath report that President Bashar Assad has left the capital. The Telegram channel "Al-Fath al-Mubin," representing the united opposition command, declared Assad's flight and proclaimed the "liberation of Damascus from tyranny." Militants heralded the end of Assad's "dark era" and the onset of a "new chapter" in Syria's history.
Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Ghazi al-Jalali, according to Al Arabiya, expressed readiness to cooperate with any administration elected by the Syrian people and ensure a transfer of power. He emphasized that Syria has the potential to build productive relations with neighboring countries and the international community, but the future of the state is determined by its citizens' choices.
Early on December 8, Damascus International Airport ceased operations. All flights were canceled, and staff were evacuated. Reports indicate panic swept through the airport before its closure. Al Jazeera informs of the Syrian military abandoning the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Damascus. The state radio and television building in the city center also fell under the control of opposition factions.
A section of Damascus residents took to the streets to celebrate the overthrow of Assad's regime. Militants marked their victory by firing into the air. Gunfire echoed across many areas of the city, including the government quarter.
The Israeli publication Maariv, citing information from Syria, reports the advance of Israel Defense Forces tanks into the buffer zone near Quneitra. This has been confirmed by a correspondent from the Israeli Army Radio. The day before, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi announced an increase in military presence along the Syrian border, stating that the Israeli army does not interfere in Syria's internal affairs but takes measures to prevent potential threats to its security.
The offensive by opposition forces, led by the Islamist organization Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (designated as a terrorist group and banned in Russia), began on November 27 from the Idlib province. Alongside the Islamists, units of the "Syrian National Army" (SNA), formerly known as the "Syrian Free Army," which is supported by the United States and Turkey, are participating in the offensive.
Within a few days, militants established full control over the Idlib and Aleppo provinces—the second-largest city in Syria. On December 5, the Syrian army withdrew from Hama, the fifth most populous city in the country. Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas characterized the retreat from Hama as a "temporary tactical maneuver" necessary to ensure the safety of the civilian population. On December 6, U.S.-backed Kurdish "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) took the city of Deir ez-Zor in northeastern Syria. On December 7, reports emerged of clashes in the Palmyra area of Homs province. This historic city has repeatedly become the scene of fierce fighting during the conflict.
On the evening of December 7, the first reports of fighting on the outskirts of Damascus surfaced. Syrian military forces began withdrawing into Iraqi territory. An official representative of the Iraqi government reported the arrival of two thousand fully equipped Syrian soldiers in Iraq.
Russia, which supports government forces, reported conducting airstrikes on militant positions. On December 7, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the destruction of over 300 militants, 55 pieces of equipment, and one warehouse as a result of joint operations by Syrian Air Force and Russian Aerospace Forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is closely monitoring the situation in Syria and maintains constant communication with Damascus. The necessity for further Russian assistance to the Syrian authorities will be assessed as events unfold. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on December 7 at a forum in Doha that the use of terrorist groups in Syria to achieve geopolitical goals is unacceptable.
In the night of December 8, participants in negotiations on Syria in Doha—representatives from Russia, Iran, Turkey, and several Arab states—issued a joint statement emphasizing the need for a political resolution to the Syrian crisis. They stressed that the continuation of the conflict poses a threat to regional and international stability and called on all parties to seek a political solution that would lead to a cessation of hostilities and ensure the protection of civilians. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stated that Washington does not plan to intervene in the Syrian events, describing the situation in the country as "chaos" and emphasizing that "this is not our war."
Overview of the Syrian Conflict:
The Syrian conflict is a multi-faceted armed conflict that began in the spring of 2011 with anti-government protests that escalated into a civil war. The conflict involves government forces, various opposition groups, Islamist organizations, Kurdish formations, as well as regional and international actors. The conflict has resulted in massive human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and large-scale displacement of populations.