Rebels have captured Deir Ezzor, marking a significant turning point in Syria’s ongoing conflict.
HTS, the main victorious rebel group, announced on its Telegram channel that regime forces had surrendered in the city just minutes after its forces began entering, BBC reports.
This follows the rapid fall of Homs and the rebels’ advance into Damascus, prompting reports of President Bashar al-Assad fleeing by plane to an undisclosed location.
The collapse of Assad’s regime has unfolded swiftly but is rooted in years of war that have decimated his army.
Dara Conduit, a political scientist at the University of Melbourne, explained, “Assad’s main allies – Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah – have also been preoccupied with conflicts of their own.
Now, Assad is in a particularly weak position.” She described the overnight developments as “nothing short of remarkable.”
At the Lebanese-Syrian border, chaos reigns. Former security personnel reportedly abandoned their positions overnight, leaving the Masnaa border crossing closed.
Rebels now control the Syrian side, and videos show opposition fighters entering Damascus unopposed. On the Lebanese side, Syrians hoping to return home wait in long queues, singing revolutionary songs and waving the opposition’s green flag.
Despite these celebrations, concerns remain about the future. Abu Mohammed Al-Jawlani, HTS’s leader, has promised a transition towards a democratic Syria, but the group’s violent past and its designation as a terrorist organisation by the UN and several governments raise doubts.
Al-Qaeda has already called on the rebels to target “Jews and Crusaders.”
The fears of Syria’s minorities, especially those who are not Sunni Muslims, are compounded by the possibility of the country descending into chaos similar to Libya, with competing factions vying for power.
For now, Syria stands at a crossroads, with its future hanging in the balance.