Abrupt end to Syrian civil war as rebels take control of Damascus, President al-Assad flees

[Anchor]

The Syrian rebels have declared victory after seizing the capital, Damascus, marking the end of a 13-year civil war.

President Bashar al-Assad, who has been labeled a butcher of Syria, has fled, bringing an end to 53 years of authoritarian rule and dynastic succession.

This is Kim Gae-hyung reporting from Dubai.

[Report]

Syrian residents and rebels celebrate the fall of the Assad regime by climbing onto government tanks.

The rebels, who have rapidly taken control of the northwest, declared the liberation of Syria after capturing Damascus in the early hours of the 8th local time.

[Syrian Rebel: "We have defeated the dictator Bashar and his allies, as well as Iran and Russia."]

The rebels stated that Prime Minister Jalali will oversee the public institutions in Damascus until the official transfer of power.

[Jalali, Syrian Prime Minister: "We are ready to cooperate. We will provide all facilities for the transfer of government documents."]

President Assad, who has maintained his regime with the help of Russia, Iran, and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, fled just before the fall of Damascus and is likely to seek refuge abroad.

The main force of the rebels, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, aims to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state.

Although they have declared a break from their activities as an al-Qaeda-affiliated organization, the U.S. still sees connections to al-Qaeda.

U.S. President Biden has stated that he is closely monitoring the surprising developments in Syria, while President-elect Trump has made it clear that he opposes intervention in the Syrian civil war.

As the Syrian civil war comes to an abrupt end, the international community's attention is focused on an orderly transfer of power in Syria.

However, there are concerns that infighting among the rebels, whose interests conflict, could spark another civil war.

This is Kim Gae-hyung from KBS News in Dubai.