Syrian Rebels Storm Presidential Complex; Damascus Airport Evacuated

Syrian Rebels Storm Presidential Complex: Two senior army officers familiar with the incident said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane and left with an unknown destination, as reported by Reuters on Sunday.

As reported by the Associated Press, on Sunday morning, Syrian insurgents announced that they had reached the outskirts of Damascus.

Most people who live in the capital heard shooting and explosion noises. However, there was no immediate official response from the Syrian government, but pro-government Sham FM radio reported that all flights have been stopped, and the airport was evacuated as per AP.

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AP reported that loss of Homs was a significant blow to the authority of President Bashar al-Assad as it lies on the critical crossroad between Damascus and the coastal provinces of Syria that is Latakia and Tartus, from where Assad draws part of his support base and related to a naval base for Russia.

Sham FM reports that government forces have come into positions outside Homs with more detail on that. Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed that Syrian troops and security forces have abandoned the area, allowing rebels to move into parts of the city.

I.e., prior to the events taking place, the rebels declared capture of Homs and insurgent advances over the Syrian Civil War. The insurgents went under the name Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an apparent spinoff of Al-Qaeda that gained ground including the cities of Aleppo and Hama.

Despite sending artillery and other military support from Russia, pressure mounted on Assad, and the United Nations called for early political talks towards a peaceful transition in the nation. The rebels' fast advances to many areas of Syria, coupled with dwindling support from some of Assad's allies, presented the biggest threat to his regime since the start of the war.

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Who is Bashar al-Assad?

Bashar al-Assad belongs to the Alawite minority of Syria, which happens to be the sect of Islam that has commanded a large political power over Syria for several decades. He became President in the year 2000, succeeding his father Hafez al-Assad, who had been ruling from 1971. This authoritarian style of his father's rule was largely seen to be followed.

The relations between the US and Syria under Assad's regime

On his side, he was consistently hard-line against the US, especially concerning Palestine and his country's contention over Israel. His government has still provided support for militant movements like Hamas and Hezbollah. His relations with the United States suffered a deterioration after strongly pronouncing a strong condemnation of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Increased rhetoric aligned against the West and with the Axis of Resistance made Assad a closer ally of Iran, as he allowed Iranian forces to use Syria for bases and operations.

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