Rebel forces entered the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday after a week-long lightning offensive, with no immediate signs of government forces in the city, according to insurgent sources cited by Reuters.

With his grip on power crumbling, President Bashar al-Assad has fled the city, boarding a plane to an unknown destination, top Syrian army officers familiar with the matter told Reuters. Syria’s army command has reportedly informed officers that the Assad regime has fallen.The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel faction said in a statement, “We announce today, 12-8-2024, the end of this dark era and the beginning of a new era for Syria.”

Syrian military and security forces have withdrawn from Damascus International Airport, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The war monitor, which relies on sources within Syria, reported that officers and soldiers abandoned the airport amid the rebel offensive.

Panic gripped the capital, with residents describing gunfire in the city, and regime loyalists rushing to flee, anticipating the Assad government’s collapse, the Observatory and AFP reported. Others went out into public squares to celebrate with songs and tears, as mosques announced the fall of the Assad regime.The rebels also announced they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of Damascus and freed prisoners there.

“We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Saydnaya prison,” they said, as quoted by Reuters.