Rebels Exert Control Over Syria as Assad Given Sanctuary in Moscow

Although hundreds of political prisoners have been released, many more are trapped underground in the ’red cells’ at the notorious Saydnaya prison.

Military tanks abandoned by the Syrian army are pictured outside Damascus, on Dec. 9, 2024. Bakr Alkasem/ AFP via Getty Images

Rebels who seized the Syrian capital of Damascus over the weekend are exerting control over the country as a fragile peace remains in place between various armed groups.

Russia has confirmed that the former president, Bashar al-Assad, has been given sanctuary in Moscow, ending more than 50 years of rule by his family and bringing to a close the 13-year-long civil war that broke out during the so-called Arab Spring of 2011.