Five decades of Assad rule end: How a surprise rebel drive ended Assad's grip on Syria

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

In the early hours of December 8, 2024, a historic turning point reshaped the Middle East: the collapse of the Assad regime after more than five decades of rule, from Hafez al-Assad to his son Bashar, and following a 13-year war.

Twelve days earlier, nothing on the ground suggested that the end was imminent. Front lines were stagnant, and zones of control unchanged. That shifted dramatically at dawn on November 27.

Opposition factions launched a surprise offensive they called Operation "Deterrence of Aggression." Within hours, regime defensive lines in rural Aleppo and Idlib crumbled. Entire towns fell with little resistance.

Two days later, Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, was out of regime control. Syrian army units abandoned bases and airports, leaving behind equipment and heavy weapons.

The momentum continued. Battles moved south toward Hama. 

Despite early Russian airstrikes, opposition forces entered the city on December 5, toppling what amounted to the last major defensive line in central Syria. Within 48 hours, Homs, the strategic link between north and south, also fell, opening a direct route to Damascus.

Meanwhile, southern fronts collapsed as well. Daraa, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising, fell almost without a fight as regime units withdrew toward the capital.

Throughout this rapid collapse, one factor stood out: there was no decision to fight. Iranian forces and Hezbollah, long the backbone of the regime's military survival, did not enter the battle. Reports indicated organized withdrawals and a strategic choice to avoid confrontation, as the Syrian army itself was unwilling or unable to continue the fight.

By the night of December 7, Damascus was effectively abandoned. Checkpoints stood empty, and state institutions were left without protection. Before dawn, Bashar al-Assad fled the Presidential Palace.

On the morning of December 8, opposition fighters entered the capital amid minimal resistance. The presidential palace, army headquarters, state television, and major airports all fell within hours. In a symbolic scene, opposition leaders delivered a victory speech from the Umayyad Mosque, marking the end of more than half a century of Assad family rule.

At the same time, the gates of Sednaya Prison, known to many Syrians as a "human slaughterhouse," were opened, and thousands of detainees walked free.

Behind the scenes, Turkey played a significant but discreet role. Ankara did not directly participate in the fighting, but it provided political and logistical support to opposition factions operating in areas under its influence in the north. The groups leading the offensive benefited from years of preparation and coordination with Turkey. 

In the final days, Ankara avoided escalation with Russia, which chose not to intervene to save the regime and instead coordinated with the opposition, according to Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani.

The fall of Assad was not merely the collapse of a government but a major strategic blow to the so-called Axis of Resistance. 

Syria, the critical geographic link between Iran and Hezbollah, slipped out of the alliance, dealing a severe setback to Hezbollah, which fought for years in Syria to protect its supply route.