BACHIR AL ASSAD'S REGIME FALLS. DAMASCUS IN REBEL HANDS

The last 12 hours have happened when few expected that in such a short space of time the HTS rebels would take power in Damascus, forcing Bachir Al Assad to flee, at a time when everyone expected that Putin's Russia would defend the regime in power, which has collapsed with unexpected speed. The coup d'état in Syria has succeeded against all expectations.

Finally, Al-Assad's power was a paper tiger. The main generals have abandoned him and Putin, who had assured him of his full support, has let him fall into the hands of the HTS rebel group led by the fundamentalist Al-Juliani, a man who was a member of the ranks of Al Qaeda in the days when Osama Bin Laden still existed.

The speed with which the rebels have entered and occupied Damascus has surprised all Middle East specialists. In particular, the fact that Russia, which has two military bases in Syria, has done virtually nothing to support Assad.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Jalali has promised free elections at an undetermined date and has said that Syria “will be what the Syrians want, without interference.” Fighting continued in Damascus on Sunday morning, but as soon as it became known that Assad and his family had fled on a private plane, the clashes ceased and the national army laid down its arms.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya, Jalali also said he had been in contact with opposition commander Abu Mohammed Golani to discuss managing the current transitional period, marking a notable development in efforts to shape Syria’s political future.

Syrian state television earlier aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad has been overthrown and all detainees in jails have been set free

For half a century, Al Assad ruled his country with the same iron fist used by his father, the notorious Hafed Al-Assad, accused of having committed massacres against the civilian population. Turkish President Racip Erdogan has supported the rebels, but it remains to be seen what future awaits the Kurdish minority settled in Syria, which Erdogan describes as “a band of terrorists”.

It is not usual for a hardline regime in the Middle East to collapse so early. It is quite possible that the HTS has managed to gather around itself a whole series of small groups that have led the HTS to constitute a force capable of defeating those of the national regime. There are still many elements to explain the rapid fall of Al-ssad.

As with Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime, the public and rebel forces smashed and tore down a statue of the defeated politician. Bachir Al-Assad, an ophthalmologist by profession, had claimed that he did not want to take power in Damascus, but the death of his elder brother, Bassel, in January 1994 in an accident forced Bachir to take power at the request of his family.

BACHIR EL ASSAD'S REGIME FALLS. DAMASCUS IN REBEL HANDS

The last 12 hours have happened when few expected that in such a short space of time the HTS rebels would take power in Damascus, forcing Bachir Al Assad to flee, at a time when everyone expected that Putin's Russia would defend the regime in power, which has collapsed with unexpected speed. The coup d'état in Syria has succeeded against all expectations.

Finally, Al-Assad's power was a paper tiger. The main generals have abandoned him and Putin, who had assured him of his full support, has let him fall into the hands of the HTS rebel group led by the fundamentalist Al-Juliani, a man who was a member of the ranks of Al Qaeda in the days when Osama Bin Laden still existed.

The speed with which the rebels have entered and occupied Damascus has surprised all Middle East specialists. In particular, the fact that Russia, which has two military bases in Syria, has done virtually nothing to support Assad.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Jalali has promised free elections at an undetermined date and has said that Syria “will be what the Syrians want, without interference.” Fighting continued in Damascus on Sunday morning, but as soon as it became known that Assad and his family had fled on a private plane, the clashes ceased and the national army laid down its arms.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya, Jalali also said he had been in contact with opposition commander Abu Mohammed Golani to discuss managing the current transitional period, marking a notable development in efforts to shape Syria’s political future.

Syrian state television earlier aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad has been overthrown and all detainees in jails have been set free

For half a century, Al Assad ruled his country with the same iron fist used by his father, the notorious Hafed Al-Assad, accused of having committed massacres against the civilian population. Turkish President Racip Erdogan has supported the rebels, but it remains to be seen what future awaits the Kurdish minority settled in Syria, which Erdogan describes as “a band of terrorists”.

It is not usual for a hardline regime in the Middle East to collapse so early. It is quite possible that the HTS has managed to gather around itself a whole series of small groups that have led the HTS to constitute a force capable of defeating those of the national regime. There are still many elements to explain the rapid fall of Al-ssad.

As with Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime, the public and rebel forces smashed and tore down a statue of the defeated politician. Bachir Al-Assad, an ophthalmologist by profession, had claimed that he did not want to take power in Damascus, but the death of his elder brother, Bassel, in January 1994 in an accident forced Bachir to take power at the request of his family.

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