Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad arrives in Moscow, granted asylum by Russia

Bashar al-Assad, the ousted president of Syria, has arrived in Moscow, where Russian state media confirmed that he and his family were granted asylum. According to a Kremlin source, Assad and his relatives reached Moscow on Sunday, following the fall of his government after a rapid offensive by anti-regime forces. The source stated, "For humanitarian reasons, Russia has granted asylum to Assad and his family."

As Assad made his escape, social media footage captured jubilant crowds ransacking presidential palaces in Damascus. Some even took selfies amid the opulent settings, while others entered a nearby building containing luxury cars believed to belong to the former president. The Syrian regime had been fighting on multiple fronts, facing opposition from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the north, the Southern Front, and a Kurdish faction in the east, according to Sky news reports.

Syrian rebel forces, which include various opposition groups, have declared their intent to form a new governing body with full executive powers. The coalition issued a statement declaring that the revolution had shifted from simply overthrowing Assad to building a new Syria that honors the sacrifices of its people.

HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who spearheaded the insurgency, announced on Syrian state TV that “the future is ours” and that there would be “no turning back.” He later addressed a crowd at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, calling Assad's fall a "victory for the Islamic nation."