Damascus: Bashar al-Assad, who relied heavily on Russian and Iranian support to combat Syrian rebels during a devastating civil war, never fully defeated his adversaries. This left his regime vulnerable to their recent rapid advances, particularly as his key allies were preoccupied with other conflicts.
After 24 years in power, Assad reportedly fled Damascus early Sunday, according to two senior Syrian army officers. Rebels proclaimed the capital “free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” marking the end of the Assad family’s half-century-long grip on Syria.
Symbols of the Fall
In cities overtaken by rebels, statues of Assad’s father, Hafez, and brother were toppled. Images of Assad himself were torn down, defaced, and destroyed in acts of defiance.
Assad’s rule, beginning in 2000 after the death of his father, was marked by authoritarian control, the dominance of the Alawite sect in a Sunni-majority country, and an unwavering alliance with Iran. His presidency became synonymous with the brutal civil war that erupted after the Arab Spring protests in 2011, when demands for democracy were met with deadly force.
Years of Conflict and External Support
Despite being labeled an “animal” by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 for his alleged use of chemical weapons—a claim Assad denied—he outlasted many foreign leaders who initially predicted his downfall. Russian airstrikes and Iranian-backed militias enabled him to recapture much of the territory lost to rebels.
However, his victories were hollow; vast regions of Syria remained beyond his control, and the nation was crippled by sanctions and a decimated economy. Assad’s attempts to rebuild Syria’s standing through reestablishing ties with Arab states failed to repair the fractured nation.
Rebels Seize the Upper Hand
In recent weeks, insurgents made dramatic advances, capturing Aleppo and forcing Syrian armed forces into retreat. Assad has not spoken publicly since Aleppo fell, but in a call with Iran’s president, he attributed the escalation to efforts to redraw the region for Western interests.
Early in the uprising, Assad had vowed to restore Syria to its former state. “We will hit them with an iron fist and Syria will return to how it was,” he declared in 2014 after reclaiming the town of Maaloula. While his “iron fist” materialized, his vision of a unified Syria did not. The conflict left more than 350,000 dead, cities flattened, and millions displaced.
Sectarian Divide
Assad’s rule deepened sectarian tensions, exacerbated by the influx of Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias and support for rebels from Sunni-majority states like Turkey and Qatar. The Syrian leader clung to the narrative of preserving secular Arab nationalism, even as sectarian lines hardened.
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His reliance on chemical weapons, including the 2013 sarin gas attack on Ghouta, further tarnished his regime’s reputation. Though Assad denied these attacks, they prompted international outcry and limited military responses, including U.S. airstrikes under Trump.
From Promise to Pariah
Initially perceived as a reformer, Assad’s early presidency saw a brief period of liberalization dubbed the “Damascus Spring”. However, promises of change gave way to a repressive regime rife with corruption and nepotism. His marriage to British-born Asma Akhras, once seen as a symbol of modernization, could not mask the regime’s brutal policies.
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As regional dynamics shifted, some Arab states reopened channels with Assad, yet he remained a pariah in much of the West. His downfall underscores the fragility of his rule and the unyielding resistance of those seeking a different future for Syria.
