Syrian Rebels Storm Presidential Palace; Loot Furniture, Assad’s Personal Belongings| Watch

Last Updated:December 08, 2024, 19:07 IST

Several videos were doing rounds the corner on social media where people were seen roaming and filming inside the presidential palace.

People take pictures inside the palace. (Image: AP)

The Syrian opposition fighters have taken over the Presidential Palace in Damascus after a lightning offensive that seized control of the capital and ousted President Bashar al-Assad, ending five decades of Baath rule in the country.

Several videos were doing rounds the corner on social media where people were seen roaming and filming inside the presidential palace, Al-Rawda, in Damascus on Sunday.

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The video showed people entering the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, as children ran through the grand rooms and men slid a large trunk across the ornate floor. They also smashed Assad’s family portraits in the presidential palace. According to a report by AFP, the palace’s reception hall was set ablaze by the rebels.

Groups of Syrians also strolled through the palace, wandering from room to room, posing for photographs, and with some taking items of furniture or ornaments. Several men also carried smart chairs over their shoulders. In a storeroom, cupboards were ransacked and objects strewn across the floor.

In the first television address on Sunday, The Syrian rebels announced on Sunday that the capital city, Damascus, had been “liberated" and Assad government had been toppled.

A video of another palace, the Muhajreen Palace, showed rebels walking across a white marble floor and through tall wooden doors. A man was seen carrying a vase in his hand, and a large cabinet stood empty with its doors ajar.

The president’s departure, which was also reported by a war monitor, comes less than two weeks after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group launched its campaign challenging more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.

Syrian Rebels Topple Statues Of Assad’s Father

Earlier today, some videos showed the protesters dragging statues of Assad’s father and former President Hafez al-Assad through the capital city in a show of support for the opposition forces.

Hafez Al-Assad assumed the office of Prime Minister after seizing power through a dramatic coup in 1970 and served as Syria’s President till his death in 2000. Then his son, Bashar al-Assad, succeeded to power and ruled Syria for over two decades till an armed rebellion overthrew his regime.

In Hama city, which is located 200 km from Damascus, the statue of Hafez al-Assad was pulled down and destroyed by the protesters amid celebrations and loud noises of slogans.

In another video, the protesters supporting the rebels were seen dragging the statue’s decapitated head with a vehicle. It was dragged through the road as they sat on it and chased it to kick. In the city of Latakia too, a statue of the former President was pulled down as protesters cheered with celebrations all around.

Syrians Celebrate Assad’s Ouster

The people of the country took to the streets to celebrate hours after Assad fled the country. They took down the statues of the Assad family all across the country as dramatic scenes unfolded from parts of the country.

Many gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag in scenes similar to the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war.

(With inputs from agencies)

Damascus, Syria

News world Syrian Rebels Storm Presidential Palace; Loot Furniture, Assad’s Personal Belongings| Watch