Assad flees as Syria rebels capture Damascus

The long rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is over, after rebels swept into the capital Damascus on Sunday. Follow the latest live news updates here.

• The long rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is over after rebels swept into the capital Damascus and the former leader left the country, according to Russia, one of Assad’s main allies. • The leader of the main rebel group, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, called the toppling of Assad a “victory for the entire Islamic nation” in his first public remarks in Damascus. The rebels — led by Jolani’s HTS group, which was formed out of an Al Qaeda affiliate — have said minorities will be protected. • US President Joe Biden will shortly speak about the extraordinary fall of the Assad regime, the White House said. Earlier, a US official told CNN the rebel successes mark the collapse of “Iran’s artifice” across the Middle East. The toppling of the Iran-backed Assad follows the decimation of key Tehran proxies Hezbollah and Hamas in conflicts with Israel over the past 14 months. US President Joe Biden will address the extraordinary fall of the Assad regime in Syria in remarks on Sunday following a stunning and rapid rebel advance, the White House announced. Biden is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. ET in the Roosevelt Room, according to updated guidance released by the White House. The president also received an update on the situation Sunday morning from his national security team. This will mark Biden’s first substantive remarks on the latest developments in the conflict after US officials took care not to insert itself into the war. One of the key rebel groups leading the offensive, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, has been designated by the US as a terrorist organization.