Opposition Fighters Seize al-Assad Presidential Palace In Syria’s Damascus [PHOTOS]

Syrian opposition forces have seized control of the presidential palace in Damascus following a swift military offensive that brought down the capital and sparked celebrations in the streets, marking the end of the al-Assad family’s 53-year reign.

On Sunday, state television broadcast a video in which a group of fighters declared that President Bashar al-Assad had been ousted and all prisoners had been freed.

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The statement was read by a spokesman for the opposition group, known as the Operations Room to Conquer Damascus, who called on both opposition forces and civilians to safeguard the institutions of a “free Syrian state.”

The opposition claimed that al-Assad had fled Damascus, though his current whereabouts remain unknown.

The war in Syria began in 2011 as a peaceful uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime but quickly escalated into a brutal conflict, drawing in foreign powers.

The devastating war has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, contributing to one of the largest refugee crises in modern history.

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