The government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, which had kept rebel forces at bay for more than a decade with Iranian and Russian military support, collapsed with astonishing speed on Sunday morning after an advance by opposition forces on the capital, Damascus.
An authoritarian leader who had gassed his own people during a 13-year civil war, Mr. al-Assad fled the country as rebel forces closed in on Damascus.
On Sunday evening, Russian state media outlets and two Iranian officials said he had arrived in Russia, where state media outlets reported that Mr. al-Assad and his family had been granted political asylum. The New York Times could not immediately independently confirm that Mr. al-Assad was in Russia, which along with Iran had helped keep him in power.
The rebel offensive had lasted less than two weeks.
Where rebels swept across Syria over two weeksHere’s how the main rebel coalition advanced through the northwest.
As of Nov. 26 (before offensive)
Turkish-backed
opposition
Joint control
with Syrian
gov’t
TURKEY
Aleppo
Kurds
Kurds
Main rebel
coalition
Hama
Syrian government
Homs
Area of
detail
SYRIA
Damascus
40 miles
Lebanon
Dec. 3
Turkish-backed
opposition
TURKEY
Aleppo
Kurds
Main rebel
coalition
Hama
Syrian government
Homs
Damascus
40 miles
Lebanon
25 MILES
Dec. 5
Turkish-backed
opposition
TURKEY
Aleppo
Kurds
Main rebel
coalition
Hama
Syrian government
Homs
Damascus
40 miles
Lebanon
Dec. 7
Turkish-backed
opposition
TURKEY
Aleppo
Kurdish advances
after government
withdrawal
Main rebel
coalition
Hama
Syrian government
Homs
Damascus
40 miles
Lebanon
As of Nov. 26 (before offensive)
Dec. 3
Turkish-backed
opposition
Turkish-backed
opposition
Joint control
with Syrian
gov’t
TURKEY
TURKEY
Aleppo
Aleppo
Kurds
Kurds
Main rebel
coalition
Main rebel
coalition
Hama
Hama
Syrian government
Syrian government
Homs
Homs
Area of
detail
SYRIA
Damascus
40 miles
Damascus
40 miles
Lebanon
Lebanon
25 MILES
Dec. 5
Dec. 7
Turkish-backed
opposition
Turkish-backed
opposition
TURKEY
TURKEY
Aleppo
Aleppo
Kurds
Kurdish advances after
goverment withdrawal
Main rebel
coalition
Main rebel
coalition
Hama
Hama
Syrian government
Syrian government
Homs
Homs
Damascus
40 miles
Damascus
40 miles
Lebanon
Lebanon
Note: Areas of control are approximate.
Sources: Institute for the Study of War and AEI's Critical Threats Project (areas of control); Janes (rebel control as of November)
By Martín González Gómez and Lauren Leatherby
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Mr. al-Assad had “decided to leave the presidential post and depart the country” after talks with other “parties to the conflict.” He had given instructions to transfer power peacefully, the ministry said.
There was no comment from Mr. al-Assad. His prime minister, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, stayed behind and said he was ready to cooperate with the rebels. The opposition forces swept into Damascus with little apparent resistance from the Syrian military, seizing control of government buildings and the state broadcaster.
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