Footage showing 'Assad regime statue' falling in Syria

Footage has been posted online showing Syrians toppling a "statue of the Assad regime" after rebels declared the country free from the family that has ruled it for the past 50 years.

Rebel troops have declared the capital "liberated" from the longtime rulers and government forces have withdrawn, with Assad leaving the country by plane on Sunday morning.

Syria's army command has now notified officers that its 24-year rule is over, an officer briefed on the move told Reuters.

And there have been widespread celebrations in recent days in Syria, with footage showing people in the city of Hama toppling a statue of Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's former ruler and father.

This statue of the late Syrian president, Hafez Assad, the father of current leader Bashar Assad, was torn down in the city of Hama after rebels took control. pic.twitter.com/iX4JiV5kCN

- DW News (@dwnews) December 7, 2024

The statue's "severed" head is then seen in another clip being dragged along the road by a vehicle.

Middle East Eye has also provided videos of similar statues toppling in Latakia and the capital Damascus.

According to Reuters, thousands of Syrians, in cars and on foot, have gathered in a main square in the capital.

Celebrations have taken place in several cities across the country in recent days as the Assad regime came to an abrupt and unprecedented end after just 11 days of rebel offensives that have now taken control.

Statues of Hafez al-Assad, the father of Bashar al-Assad were toppled in Syria's Latakia and Damascus.

Syrians were seen celebrating and cheering as it marks the end of over 50 years of Assad's leadership in Syria. pic.twitter.com/XTKnMNdkfL

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 8, 2024

The government fell early on Sunday morning.

Assad, who has ruled the war-torn country since 2000 after the death of his father, has fled the country to an unknown destination, Reuters reported.

The Syrian rebel coalition, which includes the Syrian National Army and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, said on Sunday it was continuing work to complete the transfer of power to a transitional governing body with full executive powers.

Syrian opposition fighters playing football with the head statue of Hafez Assad, Bashar al-Assad's father. # Syria pic.twitter.com/A75PuP8Or8

— DOAM (@doamuslims) December 1, 2024

Syria's Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, who was appointed in September 2024, said he is ready to hand over the government to the opposition in a peaceful transition.

Assad's departure marks a turning point in the embattled country's history.

Since civil war broke out in 2011 after Assad's government responded with an iron fist to peaceful protests against his rule, more than half a million people have been killed and half of the country's pre-war population of 23 million displaced. /Telegraph/