Syria rebels' lightning offensive: 11 days to the fall of Damascus

Syrian rebel fighters celebrate near the Clock Tower in Homs on December 8, 2024, after rebel forces entered Syria's third city overnight. Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. [AFP]

Islamist-led rebels on Sunday declared the end of President Bashar al-Assad's rule in Syria, saying they have toppled him as they swept into Damascus and sent him fleeing.

The rebels' rapid advance in the last days had reignited a years-long war that had begun in 2011 when Assad repressed anti-government protests but which had become largely dormant.