People were filmed inside the presidential palace, al-Rawda, in Damascus after Syrian rebels declared they had seized control of the capital. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► http://bit.ly/guardianwiressub The rebel group said the president, Bashar al-Assad, had been ousted, ending his family's rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East. Two senior Syrian officers told Reuters that Assad had fled Damascus, his destination unknown. The report could not be independently verified Middle East crisis live - latest updates ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/dec/09/syria-bashar-al-assad-asylum-russia-live-updates-blog Bashar al-Assad reported to have fled Syria as rebels say they have captured Damascus ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/08/bashar-al-assad-reported-to-have-fled-syria-as-rebels-say-they-have-captured-damascus The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://bit.ly/3uhA7zg Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ►https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Instagram ► https://instagram.com/guardian The Guardian on YouTube: The Guardian ► https://bit.ly/guardiannewssubs Guardian Australia ► https://bit.ly/guardianaussubs Guardian Football ► https://bit.ly/gdnfootballsubs Guardian Sport ► https://bit.ly/gdnsportsubs Guardian Live ► https://bit.ly/guardianlivesubs #syria #damascus #basharalassad #syrianwar #assad