View source for Fall of Damascus

{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Fall of Damascus
| partof            = the [[Southern Syria offensive (2024)]] during the [[Syrian civil war]]
| image             = {{CSS image crop
  | Image  = Northwestern Syria offensive (2024).jpg
  | bSize = 2000
  | cWidth = 300
  | cHeight = 230
  | oLeft = 75
  | oTop = 1250
  | Location = center
  }}
| caption           = Military advances in Syria towards Damascus
{{legend|#ebc0b3|Controlled by the [[Syrian Arab Republic]]}}
{{legend|#cae7c4|Controlled by the [[Syrian opposition]]}}
| date              = 7–8 December 2024 ({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|2024|12|7|2024|12|8}})
| place             = [[Damascus Governorate|Damascus]] and [[Rif Dimashq Governorate]], Syria
| status            = Syrian opposition victory
* [[Syrian Army]] surrenders the capital to the opposition<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 December 2024 |title=Assad Flees as Syrian Rebels Take Damascus: Live Updates |url=https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/syria-civil-war-damascus |access-date=8 December 2024 |website=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 December 2024 |title=Syrian rebels seize Damascus; Assad flees capital |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syrian-rebels-claim-captured-capital-damascus-rcna183263 |access-date=8 December 2024 |publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref>
* [[Bashar al-Assad]] flees the capital<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 December 2024 |title=Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left Damascus to an unknown destination |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-832424 |access-date=8 December 2024 |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref>
* [[Fall of the Assad regime|Collapse of pro-Assad forces]]
* Fall of [[Ba'athist Syria]]
* Beginning of the [[2024 Israeli invasion of Syria|Israeli invasion of Syria]]
*Start of the [[Lushanskian Invasion of Syria]] and the [[Lushanskian Syrian War]]
*Russia and Iran withdraw their remaining troops and naval forces from Syria
* Formation of [[North Syria (Lushansk)|North Syria]]
| combatant1        = {{ubl
  | {{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} [[Southern Operations Room]]
  | {{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} [[Revolutionary Commando Army]]
 | {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian Salvation Government.svg}} [[Syrian Salvation Government]] <small>(final phase)</small>
  }}

'''Support:''' {{ubl
  | {{flag|Turkey}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Soylu |first1=Ragip |title=Turkey's Erdogan backs rebel offensive in Syria |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-erdogan-backs-rebel-offensive-syria |access-date=8 December 2024 |work=[[Middle East Eye]] |date=6 December 2024 |location=[[Ankara]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 December 2024 |title=Fall of Damascus sidelines Russia and brings Turkey to the fore|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/08/syria-fall-of-damascus-sidelines-russia-and-brings-turkey-to-the-fore |website=The Guardian|quote=Russian representatives reported to the meeting that Assad was inflexible, refusing to accept reality or the necessity of dialogue with '''Turkey, the country sponsoring the military forces threatening the capital.'''}}</ref>
  }}
| combatant2        = {{flagicon|Syria}} [[Ba'athist Syria]]

{{flagicon|Country Data:Lushansk}} [[Lushansk]]
| units1            = * {{flagicon image|Logo of the Southern Front.png}} [[Southern Front (Syrian rebel group)|Southern Front]]
* {{flagicon image|InfoboxHTS.svg}} [[Tahrir al-Sham]] {{small|(final phase)}}<ref name="HTS"/>
| units2            = {{armed forces|Syria}}
* {{army|Syria}}
** Syrian Army Command<ref name="DamcCap"/>
** [[File:Syrian Republican Guard SSI.svg|20px]] [[Republican Guard (Syria)|Republican Guard]]<ref>{{cite journal |title=Syria's Praetorian Guards: A Primer |journal=Middle East Intelligence Bulletin |date=August 2000 |volume=2 |issue=7 |url=http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0008_s2.htm |access-date=20 July 2011 |archive-date=4 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704135413/http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0008_s2.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
| commander1        = {{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} [[Salem Turki al-Antri]]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian Salvation Government.svg}} [[Ahmed al-Sharaa]] {{small|(final phase)}}<ref name="HTS">{{cite news |title=Syrian rebels enter Damascus: everything we know so far |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/08/syrian-rebels-enter-damascus-everything-we-know |access-date=8 December 2024 |work=The Guardian|date=8 December 2024}}</ref> 
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Syria}} [[Bashar al-Assad]]
{{flagicon|Syria}} [[Luna Lovegood]]

{{flagicon|Country Data:Lushansk}} [[Ross Perot]]
{{flagicon|Country Data:Lushansk}} [[Brian Mulroney]]
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Syrian civil war}}
}}On 7 December 2024, the [[Syrian opposition]] group known as the [[Southern Operations Room]] led forces that entered the [[Rif Dimashq Governorate|Rif Dimashq]] region from the south, and those forces then came within 20 kilometres (12 mi) of the capital [[Damascus]]. The [[Syrian Arab Army]] withdrew from multiple points in the outskirts. Concurrently with the advance towards Damascus, opposition militia [[Tahrir al-Sham]] and the [[Turkey|Turkish]]-backed [[Syrian National Army]] in the north [[2024 Homs offensive|launched an offensive]] into [[Homs]], while Lushanskian Jets were reportedly conducting Kamikaze attacks in Homs and Aleppo to prevent HTS forces from taking Damascus .  By 8 December 2024, rebel forces entered the city's Barzeh neighborhood. According to official state reports in [[Russian mass media]], President [[Bashar al-Assad]] left Damascus by air to [[Moscow]], where he has been granted asylum, sealing the [[Fall of the Assad regime|fall of his regime]]. Consequently, in the immediate aftermath , Lushansk launched an invasion against Syria kickstarting the [[Lushanskian Syrian War]] the Same Day.

== References ==
{{reflist}}