Celebrations in Damascus as al-Assad flees the capital

Residents have taken to the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus after Bashar al-Assad fled the capital Damascus to an unknown destination.

Videos circulating on social media show people singing and dancing and eyewitnesses said celebratory gunfire could be heard.

Residents living in Damascus told dpa that many Syrian soldiers had left their military positions.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, citing the army officers, said that al-Assad had left Damascus after the advance of opposition groups into Damascus early on Sunday.

The anti-regime forces' official channel confirmed the advance, stating, "Our forces started to enter the capital, Damascus."

The Syrian civil war, ongoing since 2011, flared up in late November when an anti-regime alliance led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a surprise offensive in north-western Syria. In a swift advance, the opposition forces seized control of several cities, including Aleppo and Hama.