14 December 2024

The Assad regime ruled Syria for 50 years. Here’s how it fell in less than two weeks

Antoinette Radford

At the historic Umayyad Mosque in the heart of Damascus, a red, white, black and green flag flies.

On the other side of the Syrian capital, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s palace burns.

An anchor reads the Sunday news: “We announce to you from the Syrian news channel the victory of the great Syrian revolution after 13 years of patience and sacrifice.”

And on the streets, hundreds of people cheer, celebrating the stunning fall of 50 years of the Assad family’s dictatorship.

After less than two weeks of fighting across Syria’s northwest, rebel groups swiftly seized control of the capital. Their presence seemed to catch the regime off guard, forcing Assad to flee to Russia with his family.

“We are now the happiest country in the world,” one man told CNN on the road leading to Damascus on Sunday.

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