Syria's Assad flees to Russia as rebels take Damascus
Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow after rebels' takeover ended his family's 54-year rule


What happened
The Assad family's 54-year rule of Syria came to an abrupt end Sunday when President Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus as rebels approached. Led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Free Syrian Army raised its flag over the capital but allowed Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali to run the government during a transition period. Russian state media said Assad had arrived in Moscow and was being given asylum "on humanitarian grounds."
Who said what
The 11-day offensive that toppled Assad "is a victory for the entire Islamic nation," HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani said at Damascus' ancient Umayyad Mosque. Assad's "supposedly indomitable regime" crumbled as his "main international allies," Russia and Iran, "abandoned" him and his army refused to fight the "lightly armed rebels," The Washington Post said.
Syrians "poured onto the streets" to celebrate Assad's ouster, CNN said. President Joe Biden also celebrated his fall last night, calling it a "fundamental act of justice" for a regime that "brutalized and tortured and killed" countless "innocent Syrians," but it is also "a moment of risk and uncertainty." He said the U.S. "will not let" the Islamic State "take advantage of any vacuum" to rebuild. The U.S. struck 75 ISIS targets in Syria Sunday, to underscore Washington's resolve to combat the terrorist group and "dissuade the new regime from cooperating with them" The New York Times said, citing a senior U.S. military official.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The rebel forces "face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions," including ISIS, U.S.-backed Kurds in the north and Turkish-backed militants fighting the Kurds, The Associated Press said. "With 25,000 fighters," The Wall Street Journal said, the HTS rebels "don't appear to have the personnel to govern the vast territories it has gained in recent days."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetime
Feature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’
Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Philadelphia’s Calder Gardens
Feature A permanent new museum
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Does Reform have a Russia problem?
Talking Point Nigel Farage is ‘in bed with Putin’, claims Rachel Reeves, after party’s former leader in Wales pleaded guilty to taking bribes from the Kremlin
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Syria’s strange post-Assad election
The Explainer Sunday’s limited vote ‘suited the phase Syria is undergoing’, says interim president
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her