Damascus, the strongest fort of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has collapsed. Assad has had to flee with his family. This is not only Assad's defeat but also the defeat of his allies Russia and Iran. The Assad family ruled Syria for more than 50 years. But during this time their history was full of massacres and bloodshed. Currently, most of Syria's territory has been occupied by rebel groups.

Bashar al-Assad belongs to the Alawite community. This community is a minority in Syria. The population of the Alawite community in Syria is about 12 percent. But the power was with this Alawite dynasty. While the country is Sunni majority. The dominance of the Assad family, which was in power in Syria for five decades, is now over.

What is happening in Syria?

After Bashar al-Assad's escape, the rebels are busy in forming a new government. There is a festive atmosphere in the whole country. A mob has attacked the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Iraq has closed its border with Syria. Security has been increased. The Iraqi embassy in Damascus has also been evacuated. On the other hand, Israel has increased its army deployment in Golan Heights. After 50 years, the Israeli army has crossed the fence on the Syrian border.

Father had seized power by coup

On 13 November 1970, Bashar al-Assad's father Hafiz al-Assad staged a coup in Syria and took power in his hands. He ruled the country till the year 2000. Before assuming power, Hafiz had also been the commander of the Syrian Air Force and the Defense Minister. Hafiz gave preference to people of the Alawite community and those with his faith in government jobs. This caused resentment among other communities.

Hafiz wanted to hand over power of Syria to his eldest son Bassel. But in 1994, Bassel died in a road accident. After this, after the death of Hafiz in 2000, Bashar al-Assad took over the power of the country. At that time, Assad got 97 percent votes in the referendum. Bashar al-Assad has been in power in Syria for the last 24 years.

Assad adopted his father's strategy

Bashar al-Assad worked on the strategy of suppressing the rebellion on the lines of his father. But his strategy has now failed. Assad's father Hafiz had crushed the rebellion of Muslim Brotherhood in the Syrian city of Hama in 1982. About 40 thousand people lost their lives in this.

Assad inherited this strategy of repression. He also used it on many occasions. Assad's relatives occupied the top positions in the Syrian government. Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf controlled 60 percent of Syria's economy. All these people also repressed the common people of Syria.

The Turning Point

In 2011, rebellion broke out in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. Governments collapsed in all three countries. This incident also affected the people of Syria. People suffering from the Assad government also thought of doing something similar in Syria. It started from a school.

In a school in the Syrian city of Dara, some students wrote slogans against Assad. The slogan was 'Assad, now it is your turn'. When the government came to know about this incident, they used the army and used third degree torture on the school students. The children were hung on the wall. They were given electric shocks.

Meanwhile, the common people of Syria were troubled by corruption and economic mismanagement. The violence against the child added fuel to the fire. Within no time, the rebellion spread all over Syria. Demonstrations started taking place everywhere. In response, Assad deployed the army. The army started wreaking havoc on the people. At first, people took up arms to protect themselves. Later, these weapons became the biggest instruments of rebellion. Within a short time, many armed rebellion groups emerged in Syria.

Assad's fort collapsed in 11 days

Many parts of Syria are already occupied by many groups including Kurds. But the major cities Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Damascus have been under the control of the Syrian army. Nearly a decade after the civil war started in 20211, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) attacked Aleppo on 27 November and captured it. After this, the fighters moved towards Homs. After capturing Hama, Homs also soon came under their control. Soon the rebel groups attacked the capital Damascus. Before the rebels entered Damascus, Basar al-Assad fled the country along with his family.

Syria's main rebel group

• ISIL group: This group captured a large area of ​​Iraq. After this, it took control of a large part of Syria.
• Free Syrian Army: This group has the support of Turkey, America and many Gulf countries. It has been formed by deserters of the Syrian army.
• Syrian Democratic Forces: This faction is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units.
• Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and the Iran-backed Hezbollah are also part of the Syrian war.

What is Syria's HTS group?

The name of the group that helped Bashar al-Assad escape from Syria is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). This group includes many rebel groups. Turkey-backed groups are also supporting HTS. Before the attack, HTS had been occupying Idbil province for several years. The group is led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani. This armed group includes the National Front for Liberation, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Izza and Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement and the Syrian National Army.