Speaker 1 (00:00):
The toppling of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. Crowds gathering in Damascus to celebrate after opposition forces entered the capitol.
Gio (00:09):
Assad's private residence ransacked with furniture overturned. Items strewn everywhere. An opposition fighter spotted sitting inside this office at the presidential palace. We've got team coverage of this major event in the Middle East, including the reaction right here in the US, beginning with ABC's James Longman. James, good morning to you.
James Longman (00:29):
Yeah, good morning, Gio. This is one of the most extraordinary moments in the history of the Middle East. Bashar al-Assad inherited power from his father nearly 25 years ago. He has clung onto that power through years of civil war, but now a new rebel movement has managed to topple his regime in less than two weeks.
(00:49)
History made overnight as Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is overthrown in a lightning move by rebel fighters. They are this morning inside the presidential palace, walking its huge halls celebrating amid the abandoned luxury of the Assad regime as outside jubilation spreads on the streets of the capitol for a moment few saw coming. Rebels declaring victory from the state TV studios saying, "The city of Damascus has been liberated. The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has been toppled." The rebels seizing Damascus almost without a fight as Assad's military appeared to evaporate. This Syrian military checkpoint left abandoned overnight, military uniforms left behind, scattered on the floor.
(01:29)
Such scenes were unthinkable less than two weeks ago when the rebels launched a sudden offensive. That snowballed and day after day, they overrun key cities. Assad, in power for 24 years, oversaw the brutal crushing of the revolution against his regime through nearly 14 years of civil war. He was propped up by allies, Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, but he never completely regained the North and Turkey has quietly supported the mix of Islamist rebel groups vying for power. Out of the carnage, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham emerged, and with Assad's allies distracted by wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon, the group appears to have taken its chance. An offshoot of al-Qaeda, its leader Abu Mohammed al-Gaulani now wants to project a more moderate image. The group solidifying its status as Guardians of the Revolution on Saturday storming the city of Hams, birthplace of Syria's rebellion back in 2011, and they've released prisoners from Syria's infamous jails where they'd languished for years for opposing the regime. Protesters chanting, "Long live Syria, down with al-Assad," setting fire to a poster of the Syrian president. The US and President Biden have been acting with caution, with no plans to intervene.
Jake Sullivan (02:41):
Assad's backers, Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah have all been weakened and distracted, and so he has not had the support from those three actors that he expected to be able to count on and has been left basically naked.
James Longman (02:57):
Now, I've been speaking to many of Syrians that I've met over the last 13 years. They are overjoyed at what has happened. Millions have been displaced. They're looking forward to being able to go home now. The issue for them though is the future is far from certain.
Gio (03:10):
So many questions and I know you'll stay on top of it. James, thank you so much for your reporting.