What is happening in Syria and why now?

The HTS-led rebels took control of most of Aleppo – Syria’s second largest city – on 30 November, only three days after launching their surprise offensive. They said they faced little resistance on the ground after the government rapidly withdrew its troops and security forces.

Assad vowed to “crush” the rebels with the help of his allies. Russian warplanes intensified their strikes on rebel-held areas and Iran-backed militias sent reinforcements to bolster the military’s defensive lines around Hama – the next city south on the Aleppo-Damascus highway.

However, Hama fell to the rebels on Thursday after several days of fierce battles that eventually prompted the military to withdraw.

The rebels immediately declared that their next goal was to take Homs, Syria’s third largest city, and achieved that on Saturday night after only a day of fighting.

At the same time, other rebel factions based in the south-west of the country, which borders Jordan, reached the suburbs of Damascus after taking control of the cities of Deraa and Suweida within only 24 hours.

Early on Sunday morning, the HTS-led rebels announced that they had entered Damascus and released detainees at the country’s most notorious military prison, Saydanaya, where thousands of opposition supporters are believed to have been executed during the civil war.

Less than two hours later, they declared: “The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled.”

“After 50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and [forced] displacement… we announce today the end of this dark period and the start of a new era for Syria,” they said.

Senior army officers said the president flew out of the capital for an unknown destination shortly before the rebels arrived.

Assad’s Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Jalali, then announced in a video that he was “ready to co-operate with” any leadership that was “chosen by the Syrian people”.

Jawlani ordered his forces not to approach official institutions, saying they would remain under the authority of the prime minister until they were “officially” handed over.