Assad flees to Moscow as Syrian rebels capture Damascus

Strikes were heard in Damascus early Monday, according to a CNN team in the Syrian capital, after President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia in the face of an astonishingly swift rebel offensive.

• Israel said its military struck Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities on Monday morning after President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia following a swift rebel offensive. • The toppling of the Assad regime following more than 50 years of brutal dictatorship was a “victory for the entire Islamic nation,” said Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the main rebel group, HTS, which was formed out of an al Qaeda affiliate. • Assad’s removal was met with jubilation by Syrians at home and abroad. In Damascus, rebels and civilians ransacked the former dictator’s palaces, with videos revealing Assad’s luxurious lifestyle and large car collection, including a Ferrari F50. • As US President Joe Biden welcomed the fall of the Assad regime, the US military said it struck more than 75 ISIS targets in Syria to prevent the terrorist group from taking advantage of the situation in the country. Meanwhile, Israel ordered its military to establish a “security zone” inside Syrian territory. Syria’s former Assad regime prime minister has agreed to hand over power to his rebel counterpart, the outgoing PM Mohammad Ghazi Al-Jalali told Al Arabiya TV, according to Reuters. The Syrian rebels shared a video of the leader of the main rebel group HTS, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, meeting with al-Jalali.