Syrian President Bashar Assad Ousted From Power in Bloodless Coup After 13-Year Civil War
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted from power early on Sunday in a stunning bloodless coup by Islamist rebels who took control of Damascus, the Syrian capital after a 13-year civil war that has caused more than 500,000 deaths and forced millions of Syrians to leave their homeland.
The rebels, who are called the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters, moved swiftly, entering Damascus and taking over the city as government military fled, hours after Assad had absconded.
The rebels’ fast-paced offensive was facilitated by a changing geopolitical scenario in which Assad was no longer able to rely on support from Iran, Russia and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia, according to several analysts.
State TV in Iran, which has been Assad’s main backer in recent years, reported that Assad had left the Syrian capital for an undisclosed location, while Syrian state television aired a video statement saying that he had been overthrown and that all detainees in the country’s jails, many of whom were political prisoners, have been set free.
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