SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly been overthrown by the armed opposition in the country.

The armed opposition in Syria announced the capture of the country’s capital, Damascus, on Sunday, December 8.

According to the reports, as of Sunday morning, al-Assad’s whereabouts was uncertain, but the opposition said he had fled the country.

Reuters quoted two army sources as confirming that the president’s plane left Syria for an unknown country.

The armed opposition, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was reported to have gained major victories in recent days, taking over major cities like Aleppo and Homs.

According to Al-Jazeera’s report, the commander of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, said the state institutions would remain under the supervision of al-Assad’s prime minister, Mohammad al-Jalali, until formal handing over.

The HTS and many of the opposition fighter groups are believed to be backed by Turkey, whose president has never hidden his disdain for al-Assad since the Arab Spring.

On Saturday, December 7, United States President-elect, Donald Trump, in a message on X, celebrated the loss of al-Assad.

He, however, asked the country not to get involved in the crisis.

The exit of Syrian President al-Assad could be a major blow to Iran and Russia, who have actively supported his government, deploying arms and personnel to fight alongside the Syrian army against the rebels.

It appears he has been unable to hold down the country on his own, with Russia bogged down with the war in Ukraine and Iran facing internal crises alongside a potential war with Israel.

Meanwhile, world leaders are already reacting to the overthrow of the Syrian president.

“What is important is that we are able to find a situation where there is a political way out of this,” United Nations Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, said.

The German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, called al-Assad’s fall “a great relief” for Syrians, stressin: “The end of Assad represents for millions of people in Syria a great relief.”

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister, Amichai Chikli, says  the opposition advances in Syria “are far from a cause for celebration.”