Syrian rebels oust Assad, forcing him to flee country

Islamist fighters also deal major blow to influence of Russia and Iran in the region

AMMAN/BEIRUT/CAIRO - Syrian rebels declared President Bashar al-Assad's ouster after seizing control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing him to flee and ending his family's decades of rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East.

The Islamist rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in the region, key allies who propped up Mr. Assad during critical moments in the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Mr. Assad's fall was a direct result of blows dealt by Israel to Iran and its ally Hezbollah.

The rebels said they had entered the capital, with no sign of army deployments. Thousands of people in cars and on foot congregated at a main square waving and chanting "Freedom" from a half-century of Assad family rule, witnesses said.

People were seen walking inside the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, with some leaving with furniture from inside. The rebels said prisoners had been freed from a large jail on the outskirts of Damascus where the Syrian government detained thousands.

"We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains," the rebels said.

Leading rebel commander Abu Mohammad al-Jolani said there was no room for turning back and the group was determined to continue the path it started in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings.

"The future is ours," he said in a statement read on Syria's state TV after his forces took over Damascus.

French President Emmanuel Macron said "the barbaric state has fallen" and paid tribute to the Syrian people.