Opposition forces seized al-Assad’s presidential palace in Damascus, Syria | Syrian War News

Syrian opposition forces have seized the presidential palace in Damascus after a swift assault that took the capital and sent crowds into the streets to celebrate the end of the 53-year rule of the al-Assad family.

State television on Sunday broadcast a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar al-Assad has been deposed and all prisoners have been released.

A man who read the statement said the opposition group, known as Operations Room to Conquer Damascus, called on all opposition forces and civilians to preserve the institutions of the “free Syrian state”.

The opposition says al-Assad has left Damascus. His whereabouts are unknown.

Syria’s war broke out in 2011 as an uprising against al-Assad’s regime and quickly turned into a conflict that drew international attention. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions were forced from their homes in one of the world’s biggest refugee crises.