The rebels open a future of unknowns in Syria after overthrowing the Assad dynasty in a lightning offensive

“We entered Damascus with humility and respect“were the words that marked the entrance of the leader of the group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammad al Golani, in Damascus, in the midst of a climate of celebration that began to spread throughout the city since Saturday afternoon.

Damascus thus joined Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Daraa and other locations in the country, in a process that transcends the leadership of HTS. The liberation involves not only groups such as the Syrian National Army, backed by Türkiye, or the Syrian Democratic Forces, led by Kurdish militias, but also a strong local and decentralized component that has been key in the process.

stands out in this context the role of cities like Salamieinhabited by the largest Ismaili community in the world, or Sweidawhere a good part of the Druze population lives (a community that combines elements of Islam, Judaism, Christianity and mystical currents). The latter managed in a matter of hours, and peacefully, to force the withdrawal of Assad’s forces after the fall of Aleppo. Sweida, who for years remained on the margins of the conflict, began a cycle of popular protests in mid-2023 with a notable participation of women, connecting with the revolutionary aspirations of 2011.

“Dissolved like a sugar”

The recent offensive has shown the total inability of the Syrian regime to sustain itself without help from its allies particularly Russia and Iran.

“Without its allies, the regime has dissolved like sugar,” he noted. Yassin SwehatSpanish-Syrian journalist and co-founder of the medium Al Jumhuriyaduring a special broadcast of the program The Zone Saturday night. According to Swehat, the response of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” – made up mainly of Iran and its satellites – has been seriously weakened following recent events in the region. “The crimes of October 7, the genocide perpetrated by Israel in Palestine and the attacks against Lebanon have weakened their ability to react,” he said.

Swehat also highlighted the structural precariousness of Assad’s forces, highlighting that The regime did not know how to capitalize on the victories obtained thanks to Russian military support. “The regime has not stopped making its troops precarious to grotesque levels, even after the victories that Russia gave it. Without ground support from its allies, its inability to respond to even the slightest offensive has been exposed,” he explained.

The liberation of Sednaya

One of the most significant milestones of these days has been the release of political prisoners, an act that symbolizes the end of decades of repression and that responds to one of the demands for reparation and justice of Syrian society, through initiatives such as those of the Syrian Families Forum for Freedom. The prisons, emblem of the oppressive character of the regime, have been emptied. Among those released are some who had been missing since the Hama massacre in 1982.

Since the first round of liberations, eyes have been on Sednaya, the greatest symbol of the terror inflicted on the Syrian population. Located about 30 kilometers north of Damascus, This town was for centuries a place of pilgrimage and religious diversityknown for preserving the use of Aramaic. But its history changed radically in the 1980s, when Hafez Al Assad built the country’s largest military prison there. Since then, Sednaya has been transformed into a “human slaughterhouse in which torture was carried out on an industrial scale”, according to reports from Amnesty International and other human rights organizations. On the morning of December 8, 2024, Sednaya was finally liberated, including its infamous “red section”, three floors underground.

On Sunday afternoon, the former Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali announced his willingness to collaborate with any leadership that is elected by the people, in a gesture that appears to align with the gradual transition that is sought to be promoted.

A multitude of unknowns arise before the Syrians, marked by the tension between local aspirations and the regional and global interferences that have shaped the country’s recent history. However, What is now undeniable is the end of the Assad dynasty, a change that was reflected in the celebrations that flooded the streets. of the main cities of the country throughout the day. Also outside Syria, in cities like Madrid, where the green, white and black tricolor flag replaced that of the regime in the Syrian embassy.