After 50+ years it appears that the Assad regime in Syria has been eliminated…..what began in late November as a regional conflict blossomed into the the capital city Of Damascus being taken and the Assad family slinking off into the night with their tails between their legs.

The rebel offensive in Syria has picked up speed, with forces moving into the suburbs of the capital, Damascus. Government forces have abandoned the central city of Homs, per the AP, and the location of President Bashar Assad was unknown. The army withdrew from much of southern Syria earlier Saturday, leaving more areas of the country, including two provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters, according to an opposition war monitor. The AP reports the redeployment away from the provinces of Daraa and Sweida came as Syria’s military sent large numbers of reinforcements in the futile effort to defend Homs.

The rapid advances by insurgents is a stunning reversal of fortunes for Assad, who appears to be largely on his own, with erstwhile allies preoccupied with other conflicts. Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Saturday that Iran’s military advisers have started leaving Syria. He added that Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria, mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, have withdrawn into central Syria. Officials with Iran-backed Iraqi militias said a decision hasn’t been made on whether to intervene in support of Assad. “If he resists and does not allow Damascus to fall, it is possible that the Iraqi factions will intervene,” one said.

The shock offensive began Nov. 27 led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city. The group has its origins in al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organization by the US and the UN. The Syrian army said in a statement that it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south.

Not going well for the Assad regime and late Saturday word came out that Damascus had been taken by the rebels.

The 54-year Assad family dynasty appears to have come to an end in Syria. Rebels took control of the capital of Damascus without a fight, and President Bashar al-Assad is nowhere to be seen amid speculation he fled the country, reports the BBC.

• Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Assad flew out of Damascus early Sunday, reports the AP. That has not been confirmed. He ruled the country for nearly 25 years after being elected in 2000 upon the death of his father, Hafez Assad. The elder Assad gained power in a bloodless coup in 1970.
• Leaders of Syria’s army informed officers that the Assad regime is over, reports Reuters. Thousands were gathering at a main square in the capital in celebration. Rebels declared that Syria is “free of the tyrant” on Telegram. Assad had long been allied with Russia and Iran.
• Syria’s prime minister, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, told the nation in a video address that he would remain in his post and work with whatever new government emerges. “We extend our hand even to the opposition who extended their hand and confirmed that they will not harm any person who belongs to the Syrian homeland,” he said, per the Washington Post.
• The main rebel group behind the lightning-fast military movement to topple Assad—Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS—says it will work with the prime minister and instructed rebel forces to steer clear of government institutions until they are formally turned over, per the New York Times. HTS broke with al-Qaeda in 2016, though they are still considered a terrorist group by the US. Other rebel factions operate elsewhere in the nation. Read more here.
• Rebels freed prisoners from Saydnaya Prison north of the capital, notorious for its brutality to Assad’s opponents, according to multiple outlets. The takeover of Damascus came after anti-Assad forces took the major cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs.

Then there is Biden who is taking credit for the fall of Assad….

President Biden on Sunday celebrated the overthrow of the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by al-Qaeda-linked militants, calling it a “fundamental act of justice.”

Biden said Assad’s allies Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah couldn’t defend Syria thanks to US support for Israel and Ukraine.

“The upshot of all of this is, for the first time ever, neither Russia nor Iran nor Hezbollah could defend this abhorrent regime in Syria. And this is a direct result of the blows that Ukraine [and] Israel have delivered upon their own self-defense with unflagging support of the United States,” he said.

Biden also listed ways the US has pressured the Assad government over the years, including through crippling economic sanctions and the US occupation of eastern Syria. “Over the past four years, my administration had pursued a clear and principled policy toward Syria. First, we made clear from the start sanctions on Assad would remain in place unless he engaged seriously in a political process to end the civil war,” he said.

(antiwar.com)

What bull squirt!

Now the question is….where oh where did Assad slink off to to go into hiding?

Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Moscow with his family, Russian state media reported Sunday, and was granted asylum “for humanitarian reasons.” The report could not immediately be confirmed by outside outlets. Russia had supported Assad’s government, and a Kremlin official said Syrian rebels provided assurances, the Washington Post reports. “Russian officials are in contact with representatives of the armed Syrian opposition who have guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions in Syria,” per Tass.

Interesting news….Assad has been a thorn in the US ass for years and now there could be one less problem in the Middle East…

That is probably wishful thinking….but we will have to wait and see.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”