Bashar Al-Assad is reportedly in Moscow with his family after he “stepped down” and “left Syria” earlier today.
Opposition fighters toppled the tyrant this morning as they stormed into Damascus at about 5am, unopposed, seizing control of the state TV building, the international airport, and a host of key government hotspots.
Government troops and staff fled their posts, paving the way for a rebel takeover, while Assad is said to have left on a plane out of Syria. The Syrian Air Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane then vanished off the radar, sparking a frenzy its location.
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Now, it’s emerged that Assad has been given safe haven in Moscow, as per Russian state media quoting a Kremlin insider. Syrian state telly broadcast footage announcing President Assad had been toppled and all prisoners were now free.
The opposition squad, known as the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus, called on all rebel soldiers and civilians to look after the institutions of “the free Syrian state.”
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was willing to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over the reins to a transitional government, reports the Mirror.
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
In an astonishing turn of events on Sunday, it was announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry that Bashar al-Assad has vacated the presidency and fled Syria after instructions for a non-violent transition of control.
The Russian authority made it clear they were not involved in the discussions leading to this shift: “As a result of negotiations between B. Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to resign from the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power. Russia did not participate in these negotiations,” said the ministry.