How al-Assad’s regime fell: Key moments in the fall of Syria’s ‘tyrant’
Opposition forces took Damascus early on Sunday, ending the al-Assad family’s 50-year reign in a surprise offensive that reached the capital in only 12 days.
The offensive began on November 27, when opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched an assault from their base in the Idlib governorate in northwestern Syria and then rolled on southwards to unseat Bashar al-Assad.
December 7: Closing in on the capital
Deraa awakens: On Saturday, opposition forces captured most of the southern Syrian region of Deraa – the birthplace of the 2011 uprising.
People also took matters into their own hands and joined the fight, then marched north with the fighters, according to political analyst and activist Nour Adeh.
Sweida follows suit: Sweida was liberated from regime forces and under the control of Druze factions by Saturday morning.
Closing in on Damascus: The southern groups headed north while the northwestern fighters closed in on Homs, the next city on the highway to Damascus.
The regime was feeling the pinch as it watched opposition fighters approaching from all sides.
Its forces were in organisational collapse, according to Sanad, Al Jazeera’s digital investigation agency, with images emerging of soldiers abandoning their weapons and uniforms while many fled on foot from their military positions.
The people rise: This collapse in morale triggered widespread demonstrations in the rural areas surrounding Damascus, where protesters tore down posters of al-Assad and attacked military positions.
December 8: The final hours
Liberation of Homs: Desperate to stop the opposition, the regime bombed the Rastan Bridge, but opposition forces captured Homs regardless, in the very early hours of Sunday.
With that, they had cut al-Assad off from his coastal strongholds, where two Russian military bases are located.
The capture of Homs was a “death knell .. for the remaining possibility that the Syrian army would consolidate its powers and make a stand,” University of Oklahoma professor Joshua Landis told Al Jazeera.
On the road to Damascus: With armed opposition groups closing in on Damascus from all directions, the city plunged into chaos.
The military operations room deployed the “Red Crescent” division, specially trained for urban assaults, while many government forces were told to withdraw to Damascus International Airport and the security centres in central Damascus, but to no avail.
