An IL-76 transport aircraft, Photo: Karim Sahib / AFP
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has ruled the country for 24 years, fled the capital on Sunday morning aboard an Il-76 transport plane. The aircraft’s signal disappeared over the city of Homs, which has just been captured by Syrian rebels. Al Jazeera reports this with reference to open sources of flight monitoring.
Assad’s whereabouts unknown
After the disappearance of the signal from the plane, there is no information about Bashar al-Assad’s whereabouts. Representatives of the Syrian opposition claim that he has left the country, but this information has not yet been confirmed by independent sources.
According to Reuters, the Syrian president boarded an Il-76, which was the last plane to leave Damascus before the rebels seized the capital. The plane had the flight number Syrian Air 9218 and took off in an unknown direction.
Homs under rebel control
Syrian rebels captured the strategically important city of Homs in less than a day. Having taken the city, they continued their offensive on the capital.
Residents of Homs took to the streets to celebrate the liberation of the city. They chanted slogans against the Assad regime and called for Syrian unity:
“Assad out, Homs free!”, “God is greater!”
Rebel successes and the chaotic withdrawal of government forces highlighted the regime’s crisis, which peaked with the president’s flight.
The mysterious disappearance of an aircraft
Assad’s plane disappeared from radar over rebel-controlled Homs. Experts do not rule out that the transponder signal was switched off by the crew to hide its route.
So far, there is no evidence that the plane could have been shot down, but this scenario is also being considered.
Regime crisis
Assad’s escape and the rapid capture of key cities, including Homs and Damascus, indicate the collapse of his 24-year regime. These developments have far-reaching implications for the region and are likely to change the balance of power in the Syrian conflict.
