Everything About the Removal of President Bashar al-Assad from Syria Summarised for You

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was just removed from power.

Here’s a summary of everything you need to know about it.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Removed from Power

On Sunday (8 December), Syrian rebels took control of Damascus, the capital of Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled, and the rebels later declared Assad’s ouster.

So, how did the rebels manage to take control of Damascus, and remove Assad from power?

Well, the timeline goes back to approximately two weeks ago. If you were keeping up with the news, you would already know of this.

On 27 November, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allied factions launched a surprise attack on the Syrian army in Aleppo, a city to the north of Syria.

If you didn’t know, HTS can be thought of as a Syrian terrorist organisation. It’s one of the several rebel groups engaged in the Syrian civil war, and it controls most of the northwest Idlib area and parts of three other Syrian cities — Aleppo, Hama and Latakia.

Over the next few days, the rebels managed to seize control of Aleppo after shelling the city and entering the city in a blitz assault.

On 5 December, the rebels subsequently managed to capture Hama, one of the largest cities in Syria, before capturing Homs two days later.

Their next goal? The Syrian capital, Damascus.

On Sunday (8 December), the Syrian army and other security forces withdrew from the Damascus international airport. Syrian rebels entered Damascus to no signs of army deployments.

And just like that, they managed to take Damascus.

But that’s not all that the Syrian rebels did.

According to news reports, the rebels also freed prisoners from Saydnaya prison — a prison in the outskirts of Damascus where thousands of people were detained by the Syrian government.

The Syrian rebels also stormed Iran’s embassy in Damascus — for context, Iran was a key ally of Assad’s regime.

Later, the Syrian rebels declared Assad’s ouster.

Where is President Bashar al-Assad Now?

Assad has since fled the country. For a few hours, the world stood at a standstill as the whereabouts of Assad were unknown.

However, the Russian foreign ministry has since shared that Assad and his family have been granted asylum by the Russian authorities.

For context, Russia was also another close ally of Assad’s regime during his rule.

How did the Syrian Civil War Start?

All of these events have to be contextualised — they didn’t just happen out of nowhere. These events are actually a part of the Syrian civil war which started back in 2011.

Yes, it’s been a while since you’ve heard about it, but not without good reason. Here’s why.

Protests first broke out in Syria back in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring. Yes, that Arab Spring — the one which was all over the news a decade ago.

To respond to the protests back then, Assad sent out attack aircraft, helicopter gunships, artillery and tanks against the rebels.

And that was how the Syrian civil war started.

However, over the years, the civil war slowly died down. In particular, the past four years saw something of a stalemate between the parties.

That was, until Syrian rebels launched the lightning offensive which we mentioned earlier, which eventually led to the removal of Assad.

How Have Other Countries Responded to President Bashar al-Assad’s Removal?

Since news of Assad’s removal from power broke, several countries have spoken about it.

As per usual lah…

US President Joe Biden has shared that the collapse of Assad’s regime was a “fundamental act of justice”.

However, he added that the Middle East will now be faced with risk and uncertainty. Biden shared that the US would support Syria’s neighbours through this period, and will assess the words and actions of the Syrian rebel groups.

The US, which has nearly a thousand trops in Syria, also intends to keep its troops in Syria.

“Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” Biden added.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has also echoed a similar sentiment, sharing that “terrorist organisations” must not be allowed to take advantage of the situation in Syria. He urged everyone to act cautiously.

French President Emmanuel Macron has also taken to X to comment on Assad’s removal from power.

In a post on Sunday (8 December), he shared: “The barbaric state has fallen. At last. I pay tribute to the Syrian people, to their courage, to their patience. In this moment of uncertainty, I wish them peace, freedom and unity.”

The barbaric state has fallen. At last.

I pay tribute to the Syrian people, to their courage, to their patience. In this moment of uncertainty, I send them my wishes for peace, freedom, and unity.

France will remain committed to the security of all in the Middle East.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 8, 2024

What’s Next for Syria?

The million-dollar question now is this — with the removal of Assad, what’s next for Syria?

For one, the Syrian rebels have shared that it is working to complete the transfer of power in Syria. It intends to transfer power 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,” the rebels added.

The Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali has called for free elections in Syria, and is also in discussion with HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani on the transitional period.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens next lah.