Syrian strongman Bashar Assad flees to Russia, as rebel forces capture Damascus

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Moscow on Sunday after fleeing his country as rebel forces pushed into Damascus, the culmination of a lightning offensive that toppled city after city like dominoes.

The last-minute flight from Syria was a stunning end for the Assad dynasty, which ruled the Middle Eastern country with an iron fist for 50 years.

President Biden said the collapse of a regime that killed and tortured thousands of innocent Syrians over the decades is a historic opportunity for the people to build a better future.

“This is a moment of considerable risk and uncertainty, but I also believe it’s the best opportunity for Syrians to forge their own future free of opposition,” Mr. Biden said in an address to the nation. “It’s also an opportunity, though far from certain, for a more secure and prosperous Middle East where our friends are safe and our enemies are contained.”

A Kremlin source told Tass, the state-owned news agency, that the Russian government granted Syria’s former president and his family asylum on humanitarian grounds.

“Russia has always spoken in favor of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. We insist that the U.N.-mediated talks be resumed,” the source told Tass. “Russian officials are in touch with representatives of the armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on Syrian territory.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said Syrian military forces received orders to pull out of Damascus International Airport after a plane carrying Mr. Assad and his party departed.

“SOHR activists in Damascus have also reported seeing hundreds of regime soldiers taking off their military uniforms after having been informed that they were laid off, as the al-Asaad regime had fallen,” the nongovernmental organization said.

Factions inside Syria had been struggling to force out Mr. Assad for more than a decade during a bloody civil war that resulted in the deaths of more than a half-million people and the displacement of 6 million others.

Russia and Iran played significant roles in propping up the Syrian government in recent years. Moscow’s interest was in maintaining its air base and naval base on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, a former commander of U.S. Central Command, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” program.

“[The Russians] are going to try very hard to keep that base with whatever entity comes into power in the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s departure,” Gen. McKenzie told ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz. “The Iranians need Syria as a land bridge so they can move equipment into Lebanon in order to threaten Israel. So they’re going to be very concerned about that.”

Iran’s government released a statement saying the future of Syria is solely the responsibility of its people.

“Achieving this goal requires ending military conflicts as soon as possible, preventing terrorist acts, and starting national dialogues with the participation of all the spectrums of Syrian society in order to form a comprehensive government that represents all the Syrian people,” Iranian Foreign Ministry officials said.

About 900 U.S. troops are based in Syria as part of the international mission to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist group, which once ruled large swaths of the region.

“President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners,” White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett posted on X.

Although Syrians no longer have to fear the regime’s brutal tactics to crush opposition, the departure of Mr. Assad raises fear of a power vacuum.

Damascus collapsed only hours after one of the largest rebel factions, the Islamist military group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, popularly known as HST, announced that it had captured the strategic city of Homs on the way to the capital.

The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center identified HST as a coalition of northern Syria-based Sunni Islamist insurgent groups that emerged from the Nusra Front, al Qaeda’s former branch in Syria. Led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the HST is thought to have 5,000 to 10,000 members. The U.S. and other governments have designated it as a terrorist organization.

“Some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” Mr. Biden said. “We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these groups in recent days. They’re saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words but their actions.”

Israeli military troops confirmed that they had redeployed forces in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights in the event of any chaos after the collapse of the Assad regime.

“The [Israel Defense Forces] has deployed forces in the buffer zone and in several other places necessary for its defense, to ensure the safety of the communities of the Golan Heights and the citizens of Israel,” the IDF said on its Telegram social messaging page. “We emphasize that the IDF is not interfering with the internal events in Syria. The IDF will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel and its civilians.”

The abandoned Syrian army positions on the Golan Heights will be occupied until the leadership vacuum in Damascus is filled, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“We gave the Israeli army the order to take over those positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a video statement on X. “If we can establish neighborly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that’s our desire. But if we do not, we’ll do whatever it takes to defend the state of Israel.”

Mr. Assad’s departure should give hope to Syrians who have borne the weight of nearly 14 years of relentless suffering and unspeakable loss, said Geir O. Pedersen, the United Nations envoy for Syria.

“The challenges ahead remain immense, and we hear those who are anxious and apprehensive,” Mr. Pedersen said. “Yet, this is a moment to embrace the possibility of renewal. The resilience of the Syrian people offers a path toward a united and peaceful Syria.”