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Syrian PM offers support as rebels claim victory

Local residents cheer as the gather on a street in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana on December 8, 2024
 
Local residents cheer as the gather on a street in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana on December 8, 2024
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said on Sunday that he remained in his home and was ready to support continuity of governance after President Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus as rebels entered the capital.

Syria's army command notified officers that Assad's 24-year rule had ended following a lightning rebel offensive, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move told Reuters

Rebels declared that they had taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on Sunday, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria.

The president's reported departure comes less than two weeks since the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group launched its campaign challenging more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.

Assad left Syria via Damascus International Airport before the army security forces went' to the facility. AFP was unable to confirm the report immediately.

The rebel coalition said on Sunday it is continuing work to complete the transfer of power in Syria to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.

'The great Syrian revolution has moved from the stage of struggle to overthrow the Assad regime to the struggle to build a Syria together that befits the sacrifices of its people,' it added in a statement.