Syria's PM says 'ready for handover process' after army tells officers that Assad's rule has ended

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said that he is ready to “cooperate” with any leadership chosen by the people after the country’s army command reportedly told officers that Assad’s rule has come to an end

A Syrian opposition fighter takes a picture of a comrade stepping on a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Aleppo. AP

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said that he is ready for any sort of handover process after army command reportedly told officers that President Bashar al-Assad’s rule has come to an end. The West Asian nation witnessed a sudden rise in insurgency with rebel groups taking over multiple Syrian cities. Tensions escalated further on Saturday after rebel groups took over Homs and claimed to have been entering the Syrian capital of Damascus.

While delivering a speech broadcast on his Facebook account, Jalali said that he is willing to “cooperate” with any leadership which is chosen by the people. “This country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbours and the world… but this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with [that leadership] and offer all possible facilities,” he said in the statement.

While the conflict in Syria has been going on for years since the never-ending civil war left the country in shambles, the tensions started to escalate very recently. As the rebel forces knock on the doors of Damascus, reports are emerging that Assad has fled the country and has been taken to an “unknown location”.

The 24-year reign of Assad comes to an end

On Sunday, Syria’s army command notified its officers that Assad’s 24-year authoritarian rule has come to an end. Two Syrian officers who were present at the time of the announcement confirmed the news to Reuters. Meanwhile, the Syrian rebel groups are making similar claims as well.

The insurgents said that Damascus was “now free of Assad”. Earlier today, reports emerged that the Syrian president flew out of Damascus to an unknown location on Saturday. The rebel group maintained that they entered the capital with no sign of army deployments in the city.

Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at the main square in Damascus, waving and chanting “Freedom” from the long Assad family rule, Reuters reported. “We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison,” said the rebels.

Sednaya is a large military prison located on the outskirts of Damascus where the Syrian government detained thousands in the past. According to Flightradar, a Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels.

As per the data, the aircraft initially flew towards Syria’s coastal region, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map. However, it is unclear exactly who was onboard.