Rebel fighters on Sunday, December 8 declared the Syrian capital of Damascus ‘liberated’ in a televised statement carried on state television.

Rebel fighters could be seen on the grounds of the Syrian presidential palace on Sunday,

Footage shared on social media showed fighters by a gate house located on the southern edge of the palace grounds.

The men can be seeing firing guns in the air in celebration on the otherwise deserted entrance area.

The rebels moved to capture the state media offices early on Sunday morning after entering Damascus.

SYRIA CIVIL WAR

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided conflict in Syria involving various state-sponsored and non-state actors.

In March 2011, popular discontent with the rule of Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring protests in the region.

After months of crackdown by the government’s security apparatus, various armed rebel groups such as the Free Syrian Army began forming across the country, marking the beginning of the Syrian insurgency.

By mid-2012, the insurgency had escalated into a full-blown civil war.

HOW REBELS REVOLTED

Following the Russian war on Ukraine and Israel‘s decimation of Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran‘s military apparatus, the rebels last week seized initiative and made a startling quick attack on government forces.

As at Sunday morning, president Bashir Al-Assad is no where to be found and has reportedly flown to a secret location.

Rebels have been questioning Syrian military officers and intelligence officials who might have knowledge about his movements, according to a source familiar with the rebels’ operations.

The Syrian leader has not been seen or heard from publicly since rebels entered the capital early on Sunday morning.