According to Reuters, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, who has used chemical weapons on his own population multiple times, has fled Syria after rebels took control of the capital city of Damascus.
Assad, who trained as an eye doctor in the UK before succeeding his father, and his British-born wife Asma al-Assad, left with their three children as reported by Syrian television. Their destination remains unknown.
Syria has been in a 13-year-long civil war as Islamist rebels sought to overthrow the Assad dynasty. The collapse of over 50 years of Assad family rule could be a significant shift in Middle East power dynamics.
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A picture taken at the entrance of the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on Dec. 3, shows a portrait of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and a national flag in the garbage dumpster following the take over of the area by rebel groups (RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images)
A coalition of radical Islamist groups ousted Assad’s Iran-backed regime, with HTS playing a key role. Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of HTS, aims to establish an Islamist regime, drawing concerns from experts.
Analysts suggest HTS wants to create a Taliban-like society in Syria. Syrian experts warn that HTS seeks totalitarian control over the population.
Rebels In Northwest Syria Seized Military Vehicles Belonging To The Regime Along The Route Toward Kweris Airport In The Eastern Countryside Of Aleppo on Dec. 2. (Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via AP)
Assad’s brutal treatment of protesters during the Arab Spring led to the start of the civil war, resulting in the deaths of over 500,000 people. The UN, overwhelmed by the death toll, stopped tracking the numbers.
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Portraits of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, left, and his late father and predecessor, Hafez, hang on the wall of a destroyed apartment in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, in 2006. (PATRICK BAZ/AFP via Getty Images)
The UN Security Council’s Resolution 2254 called for a cease-fire, UN-supervised elections, and a new constitution, all of which Assad rejected.
After Assad’s chemical weapons strike in 2013, former President Obama did not act as promised, allowing the conflict to escalate.
The conflict began with a group of schoolboys in Daraa scribbling anti-regime graffiti and being subjected to brutal torture, sparking the Syrian revolt.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left), Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (center), Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right). ((Fox News/Getty Images))
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Assad’s cousin, Gen. Atef Najeeb, oversaw the brutal torture of young boys, triggering the Syrian revolt.
