Updated
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that Assad had left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups, and gave instructions to “transfer power peacefully.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that Bashar Assad had left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups, and gave instructions to “transfer power peacefully.”
In a post on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday, the ministry said Moscow had not directly participated in these talks. It also said it has been following the events in Syria “with extreme concern.”
It also said Russian troops stationed in Syria have been put on high alert and that as of early afternoon Sunday, there was “no serious threat” to the security of Russia’s military bases there.
The command of the Syrian armed opposition says it will impose Sunday a curfew in Damascus, starting at 4 p.m. local time till 5 a.m. on Monday.
The Military Operations Administration, which posted the decision on Telegram, did not give a reason for the curfew.
Local residents cheer as they gather on a street in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana on Dec. 8, 2024. Louai Beshara/AFP via Getty Images
Syrian insurgents, led by terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), announced on Sunday that Damascus is “now free of Assad.”
“We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” read a post on Telegram.
Meanwhile, the rebel forces also claimed in their statement that Assad has fled Damascus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
