**Fatshimetrie — The Surprise Fall of Bashar Assad’s Brutal Regime: A New Chapter for Syria**
Just two weeks ago, the prospect of the fall of Bashar Assad’s brutal dictatorship seemed remote. But Syrian rebels completed a stunning and rapid march to power on Sunday, ushering in an uncertain new era for the country.
For half a century, the Assad family ruled Syria with an iron fist, with long-documented reports of mass imprisonment, torture, extrajudicial killings, and atrocities against their own people.
On Sunday, after 13 years of civil war that fractured the country, the regime collapsed. Rebel fighters declared Damascus “liberated” in a video statement on state television, sending Syrian President Bashar Assad fleeing to Russia.
Many in the country are hopeful about Syria’s next chapter. But the rebels who now control Syria have a complex past and an unpredictable future.
Here’s what happened in Syria, what it means, and what could come next.
**The Rebel Uprising**
An armed rebel alliance has swept across Syria in 11 days, sweeping through major cities and reigniting a conflict that had been largely frozen since a 2020 ceasefire agreement.
A new rebel coalition, led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a surprise attack and seized control of Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, on November 30, a seismic shift that met little resistance from the Syrian military.
Syrian and Russian warplanes had targeted rebels in Aleppo and Idlib, but opposition forces captured a second major city, Hama, and quickly advanced on Homs, the gateway to the capital, Damascus.
As Homs fell, rebels surrounded and marched on Damascus, declaring Assad’s ouster and the “liberation” of the city.
Videos showed prisoners being released from Assad’s notorious detention facilities, rebels and civilians were seen looting the presidential palace, with footage revealing his lavish lifestyle and large car collection.
An official source in Russia told Fatshimetrie that the ousted president and his family had fled to Moscow and been granted political asylum.
**Rebels in Power**
Syria’s rebel coalition is a new group called the “Military Operations Command.” It is made up of various Islamist and moderate factions that, despite their differences, are united in the fight against the Assad regime, the Islamic State (ISIS) and Iranian-backed militias.
They are led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, leader of the HTS militant group, who has a complex past.
Once allied with al-Qaeda and an apprentice of the future leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, he sought to distance his forces from the radical Islamism pursued by his former allies.
He announced his split from al-Qaeda in 2016 to create what he described as a Syria-focused anti-regime front with other local factions, called Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (the Front for the Conquest of the Levant), which later changed to Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), or the Organization for the Liberation of the Levant.
**Assad’s Past**
Assad is the second generation of an autocratic dynasty that has held the reins of power in Syria for more than five decades.
A former ophthalmologist who studied in London, Assad took power in an unopposed election after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad, who had led the Baath Party since it seized power in 1970.
Like his father, Assad had little tolerance for dissent and throughout his reign he repressed all opposition with ruthless violence.
There is no doubt that Assad’s ouster marks a crucial turning point in Syria’s history. However, the country’s future remains uncertain, with the new power in the hands of the rebels with complex ramifications and a troubled trajectory. Syrians and the international community are watching closely the developments ahead, hoping that Syria can finally begin a process of reconstruction and reconciliation after years of devastating conflict.
**Fatshimetrie continues to closely monitor developments in Syria and remains committed to keeping its readers informed about major developments worldwide.**