Syrian rebels topple President Assad, Russia says he left the country

Russia's foreign ministry said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had left office and departed the country after giving orders for a peaceful handover of power.

People gather at Saadallah al-Jabiri Square as they celebrate, after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move

Syrian rebels declared President Bashar al-Assad's ouster after seizing control of Damascus on Sunday (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 rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria in the heart of the region, allies who propped up Assad during critical periods in the conflict.

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 carrying 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.

Iran's embassy was also stormed by Syrian rebels, Iran's English-language Press TV reported.

Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad for years, withdrew all of its forces from Syria on Saturday as rebel factions approached the capital Damascus, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters on Sunday.

One of the sources said that the supervising forces that Hezbollah had deployed to Syria overnight between Thursday and Friday had been sent to oversee the pullback.

Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that Assad's rule had ended, a Syrian officer who was informed of the move told Reuters.

But the military later said it was continuing operations against "terrorist groups" in the key cities of Hama and Homs and in the Deraa countryside.

Assad, who has not spoken in public since the sudden rebel advance a week ago, flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.

His whereabouts now - and those of his wife Asma and their two children - remain unknown. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Assad had left office and departed the country after giving orders there be a peaceful handover of power.