Assad missing amid rumours of ‘plane crash’ after fall of Damascus to rebels 

A large-scale search is underway for ousted Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, following the opposition’s takeover of Damascus and the official declaration of the end of his decades-long rule. Opposition factions are interrogating military and intelligence officials for information on Al-Assad’s whereabouts, sources told CNN.

Speculation about Al-Assad’s fate intensified after reports of an Ilyushin-76 aircraft suspected of carrying him departing Damascus Airport just before the city fell. According to Axios, the plane headed northwest, lowered its altitude near Homs, and then disappeared from radar after making an abrupt course change.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also said Al-Assad took a flight from Damascus and left earlier today.

Reports suggest that a plane, allegedly carrying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, either crashed or made an emergency landing west of Homs, according to OSINTDefender.

Syrian opposition forces claim the plane, which disappeared from radar earlier, was shot down. No… pic.twitter.com/HFdqpBsS3G

— BigBreakingWire (@BigBreakingWire) December 8, 2024

Reuters cited two Syrian sources suggesting a high probability that the aircraft crashed, potentially killing Al-Assad. “It disappeared off the radar, possibly the transponder was switched off, but I believe the bigger probability is that the aircraft was taken down,” one source stated.

The opposition’s Military Operations Administration announced the president’s escape early today, declaring Damascus free of his rule and calling on Syrians worldwide to return to a “free Syria.” “After 50 years of oppression under al-Baath rule and 13 years of crimes, tyranny, and displacement, we announce the end of this dark era and the beginning of a new age for Syria,” the statement read.

Opposition commander Ahmed Al-Sharaa urged factions to protect public property, describing the victory as “the greatest revolution known in modern history.” Meanwhile, Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Ghazi Al-Jalali released a video pledging to facilitate the peaceful handover of government institutions.

A separate Syrian Air flight reportedly left Homs for the UAE hours after the opposition’s capture of the city, but no connection to the Assad family has been confirmed. The search for his fate and the circumstances surrounding the plane’s disappearance remain unresolved.

READ: Syria PM says unaware of Assad’s whereabouts after regime collapse