Syria's Assad is now in Moscow, Russian state media says

The Syrian government collapsed after a surprise rebel offensive.

ByDavid Brennan, Julia Reinstein, Ivan Pereira, and Jack Moore
Last Updated: December 9, 2024, 4:23 AM EST

Rebel forces in Syria captured the capital Damascus and toppled the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.

As Assad resigned and fled Syria, rebel forces moved into Damascus as citizens celebrated there and in the streets of Aleppo, where the rebel offensive began 11 days ago.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group.

The Israel Defense Forces continued its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza, particularly in the north of the devastated Palestinian territory.

Tensions also remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Dec 08, 2024, 3:27 PM EST

Airstrikes hit Damascus

Airstrikes have hit numerous government and military facilities in Damascus in the last few hours, after IDF officials earlier in the morning had claimed similar strikes. The IDF is not commenting on these most recent strikes.

Smoke rises in the aftermath of suspected IDF strikes near Mezzeh Air Base in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 8, 2024.
Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images

Earlier Sunday, IDF issued warnings to residents of five Syrian villages along the border with Israel, saying it is taking control of the buffer zone between the two countries.

During a visit on Sunday to a Syria observation post in the Golan Heights, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF seized the buffer zone due to Syrian troops abandoning their positions there. "We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border," Netanyahu said.

Dec 08, 2024, 1:52 PM EST

Biden: 'At long last the Assad regime has fallen'

President Biden gave remarks Sunday on the situation in Syria, saying from the White House that "at long last, the Assad regime has fallen."

Biden called it a "fundamental act of justice" and a "historic opportunity," acknowledging there is also "risk and uncertainty."

Read more here.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the political upheaval in Syria, Dec. 8, 2024.
ABC News

Dec 08, 2024, 1:01 PM EST

Assad is in Moscow: Russian state media

Bashar al-Assad and his family are now in Moscow, Russian state-owned news agency TASS is reporting, citing a source in the Kremlin.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attends the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 11, 2024.
SPA via Xinhua/Getty Images

-ABC News' Tanya Stukalova

Dec 08, 2024, 12:49 PM EST

Biden to give remarks on Syria

President Biden is expected to deliver remarks on Syria at 1 p.m. ET in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

-ABC News' MaryAlice Parks, Cheyenne Haslett and Lauren Peller

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