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The Assad family has ruled Syria for more than 50 years. But fuelled by the perceived weakness of the government’s allies, rebel groups have achieved a lightning victory, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee.
Here’s how decades of rule unravelled in the course of one week:
Pre-December: Assad presides over fractured nation
Assad’s rule has been heavily dependent on foreign forces from Russia, Iran and Iran-backed militants in the 13 years since a mass uprising morphed into a civil conflict. Although the government regained control of most of the country, an uneasy stalemate had left rebel enclaves in the north and north-west.
December 2: Rebels head south from Idlib
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist movement, launched a surprise offensive from its north-western stronghold of Idlib on Monday, seizing Aleppo, Syria’s second city, within days. The HTS rebels then turned south, targeting the city of Hama.
December 3: Rebels reach outskirts of Hama
By Tuesday, the rebels were sharing selfies taken from the outskirts of Hama, a city where Assad’s father brutally put down an uprising in 1982.
December 4: Further territorial gains
The lightning advance continued on Wednesday with the rebels gaining further territory to the east of Hama, as the city increasingly fell under their control.
December 5: Rebels take Hama and Homs becomes next target
With Hama secured, the rebels had already gained more than 11,500 sq km of territory by Thursday. They pushed on to Homs, the last major city on the road to the capital, Damascus, and regarded as a crucial strategic gateway for the regime.
December 6: Russia warns its citizens in Syria
With the rebels already on the outskirts of Homs, Russia’s embassy in Damascus warned its citizens on Friday that they might need to leave Syria.
December 7: Rebels reach Homs and target Syria’s capital
Assad’s regime was rapidly losing ground on several fronts by Saturday. Rebel groups advanced on Homs and began racing towards Damascus from enclaves in the south. As government forces withdrew, the momentum of the rebels appeared almost unstoppable.
December 8: Rebels sweep into Damascus forcing Assad to flee
In the early hours of Sunday, the rebels seized Damascus, plundered the presidential palace and announced that the city was “free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad”, bringing to an end more than 50 years of Assad rule.