live from london, this is bbc news. syrian rebels declare damascus is free after reports that president assad has fled the country. syria's prime minister says he will �*cooperate�* with the rebels for a transition of power and that free elections should be held. rebels appear on state tv saying they have toppled a tyrant and have released his prisoners. these are live pictures of the syria lebanon border as thousands try to return to their homes in syria. in damascus, the statue of bashar al assad's father hafez is toppled and attacked. president biden says he is monitoring the �*extraordinary events' in syria. and in other news — the leader of south korea's rulling party says president yoon suk yeol

has promised to �*step down�* after backtracking on invoking martial law. i , you're watching bbc news, i'm catherine byaruhanga. rebel forces in damascus have declared the capital city "free" of long—time ruler bashar al—assad. reports say that president assad has left damascus by plane for an unknown destination. this comes as gunfire has been reported in the centre of the capital as rebels opposed to the rule of president assad continue their lightning offensive across the country. the prime minister, mohammad ghazi al—jalali, filmed a video statement in the past few hours saying he would work with the opposition to facilitate a transition of power. the rebel advance on damascus comes after they said they had "fully liberated" the city of homs.

the rebel leader, abu mohammed al—jolani described the victory as a "historic moment". our correspondent barabara plett—usher has just managed to reached the syrian capital and sent this update. she was talking to my colleague lucy grey. iam in i am in damascus, iam in damascus, we i am in damascus, we have reached damascus, just coming into the city now. past a major army base and outside of it we saw men coming out and then walking down the road without uniform and our syrian guide said this has been going on, the soldiers are taking off their uniforms and just walking away. and in fact on the motorway you could see a or discarded clothing from the soldiers, army clothes. also tanks, military cars empty and left behind. a few people clambering over them. but mostly the rates were very quiet

coming in. now that we're just driving in to damascus, i can see there is some traffic on the streets. again, not that much. very quiet. some people the streets as well. but i don't really get the sense there is any focus of activity. the shops look like they are shut at this point. that's right, the shops are shut at this point and wherejust right, the shops are shut at this point and where just heading down a street now. $5 point and where “ust heading down a street now. �* , . point and where 'ust heading down a street now. �* , ., ., ~ point and where 'ust heading down a street now. �* , . ., ~ ., street now. as we are talking to you we're 'ust street now. as we are talking to you we're just looking _ street now. as we are talking to you we're just looking at _ street now. as we are talking to you we're just looking at some - street now. as we are talking to you we're just looking at some images l we're just looking at some images that have come through from the palace. we had this statement earlierfrom palace. we had this statement earlier from the rebel groups telling their supporters not to attack government buildings, getting attack government buildings, getting a sense that they wanted to preserve them, saying preserve all the properties of the free syrian state. do you get the sense that there is no sort of looting going on that

sort of thing?— no sort of looting going on that sort of thing? no sort of looting going on that sort ofthinu? ~ �* ., , ., sort of thing? we're not seeing that sort of thing? we're not seeing that sort of thing? we're not seeing that sort of thing — sort of thing? we're not seeing that sort of thing here _ sort of thing? we're not seeing that sort of thing here in _ sort of thing? we're not seeing that sort of thing here in damascus. - sort of thing? we're not seeing that sort of thing here in damascus. just sort of thing here in damascus. just having crossed into syria into the country, we another military base where our syrian guide said people were going on and taking things, taking equipment because there was nobody stopping them from doing so. we didn't really witness that ourselves. sorry... we saw people going in and out taking equipment. we heard reports there are some of that but nothing i am seeing here on the main street that suggest the shops are being looted.- the main street that suggest the shops are being looted. looking at these images _ shops are being looted. looking at these images early _ shops are being looted. looking at these images early as _ shops are being looted. looking at these images early as well - shops are being looted. looking at these images early as well of - shops are being looted. looking at these images early as well of the l these images early as well of the cars crossing over from these images early as well of the cars crossing overfrom lebanon into syria where you were just streaming across, are they all heading towards damascus where you are now? is it a sort of sense of a bit of a convoy? what is the scene in terms of where people are going when crossing the

border. just people are going when crossing the border. , , ,, people are going when crossing the border, , , , ., ., border. just passing the iranian embass , border. just passing the iranian embassy, there _ border. just passing the iranian embassy, there is _ border. just passing the iranian embassy, there is a _ border. just passing the iranian embassy, there is a picture - border. just passing the iranian | embassy, there is a picture that border. just passing the iranian i embassy, there is a picture that is partially ripped down. on the lebanese side of the border there were quite a few trying to get through to come into syria. there are also some people on the other side trying to get into lebanon. i spoke to a man who was crying and said he was afraid. he said the rebels would come after regime supporters, broadcast interrupted by interference. he said chaos, chaos, chaos in arabic. that was our correspondent barbara plett usher who has made it into damascus. barbara will be joining plett usher who has made it into damascus. barbara will bejoining us in a few minutes on bbc news with more of what she has been able to

witness in damascus. with the flag of the syrian opposition displayed on his desk, this is how a news anchor on syrian tv, reacted after rebels declared they had taken damascus. translation: in the name of allah, the most graceful, _ translation: in the name of allah, the most graceful, gracious, - translation: in the name of allah, the most graceful, gracious, the - the most graceful, gracious, the most merciful, the proud people of our nation, the time has come and the sun of freedom has risen, the time has come to lift the oppression and dispel the darkness overshadowing our beloved country. we are the rightful owners and this land belongs to us. we, the syrian people, of all sects mccullers and walks of life stand united, hand looking forward to a brighter tomorrow, a future where injustice and tyranny are eradicated —— and colours and walks of life. let's speak to professor michael clarke, who is a former director general of rusi and a visiting professor

in the department of war studies at king's college london. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. we don't often get to say this, but how historic are the developments happening in syria at the moment? it developments happening in syria at the moment?— developments happening in syria at the moment? it will be a big change because syria _ the moment? it will be a big change because syria is _ the moment? it will be a big change because syria is an _ the moment? it will be a big change because syria is an important - because syria is an important country, it has 25 million people. it has been the centre of the civil war since 2012, so a 12 year civil war which has resulted in the deaths of almost 600,000 people. it is the centre in a sense of three or four different wars that are going on. it is the transit point for iranian forces that go backwards and forwards towards lebanon to fight against israel. it is part of... heller, professor? can you hear us? ithink heller, professor? can you hear us? i think the line might have frozen there.

—— hello. looks like we have lost the line to professor michael clarke. he was talking about how historic the developments are in syria and how it sits at the crossing point of so many conflicts that are happening in the region. as we've been reporting, bashar al assad has fled the country. caroline hawley looks back on his rule. bashar al—assad took power in the year 2000 am inheriting the police state from his father hafez. the new young president, just 3a at the time, promised reform. and after his inauguration there was a brief period of greater political openness. but the old family way of ruling soon reasserted itself. power was to have been handed down to his elder brother basil but when he was killed in a car crash it was the quiet, somewhat awkward bashar al—assad who was next in line. he had been training as an eye doctor in london when he was called back to syria to prepare for taking over the

presidency. with his british—born wife by his side, president assad at first presented a new image of syria to the world. the west responded and there was even an audience with the queen. but the change that so many syrians hope for at home failed to materialise. and when an uprising against him began in 2011 he responded with tanks in the streets. as accounts of atrocities multiplied, bashar al—assad denied they were taking place, refusing to take responsibility. irate they were taking place, refusing to take responsibility.— take responsibility. we don't kill our people. _ take responsibility. we don't kill our people. no _ take responsibility. we don't kill our people, no government - take responsibility. we don't kill our people, no government in i take responsibility. we don't kill. our people, no government in the world kills its people unless it is led by a crazy person. for me as president i became president because of the public�*s support. it is impossible for anyone in this state to give the order to kill.— to give the order to kill. whoever it was that _ to give the order to kill. whoever it was that gave _ to give the order to kill. whoever it was that gave the _ to give the order to kill. whoever it was that gave the actual - to give the order to kill. whoeverl it was that gave the actual orders, bashar al—assad headed a regime that killed too many of its own people to

even count, with barrel bombs as well as bullets, and also with chemical weapons that are internationally banned. this was the aftermath of an attack with sarin gas on an opposition held suburb of the capital in 2013. hundreds of people were killed. the west repeatedly said that bashar al—assad must go. but however sickening violence, there was no stomach to really take his machine. chanting he repeatedly said he was merely fighting terrorists.— he repeatedly said he was merely fighting terrorists. when you shoot ou aim, fighting terrorists. when you shoot you aim. and _ fighting terrorists. when you shoot you aim, and when _ fighting terrorists. when you shoot you aim, and when you _ fighting terrorists. when you shoot you aim, and when you aim - fighting terrorists. when you shoot you aim, and when you aim you - fighting terrorists. when you shoot | you aim, and when you aim you aim fighting terrorists. when you shoot - you aim, and when you aim you aim at terrorists in order to protect civilians. again, if you are talking about casualties, that's war, we cannot have war without casualties. there were more chemical attacks and many, many more casualties. but back in 2015, russia had stepped in to turn the tide of the war in bashar al—assad's favour. it was russian

air strikes and support from iran and hezbollah that helped defeat the rebels in aleppo and elsewhere and led to this moment in 2023, after years of isolation president assad at an arab league summit. his regional rehabilitation a symbol of his victory at the time. as he was in saudi arabia, the rebels were confined to the north—west of syria. but then came this major offensive by the rebels who headed first for aleppo, syria's second city, huge prize that they took over with ease. they went on to capture more and more territory from the assad regime. we can do because the support it had been able to rely on was no longer there. —— weekend. now he is gone, leaving a country deeply scarred by his brutal rule. caroline hawley, bbc news. our security correspondent frank gardenerjoins me now. frank, ijust frank, i just wanted frank, ijust wanted you to talk us

through what happened over the last few hours. we saw that meeting between turkey, russia and iran crucially, is now we are hearing from the rebel leaders saying they will be some kind of managed transition happening in syria. how has this transition been managed by the external actors but also within syria at the moment? the important stuff has happened _ syria at the moment? the important stuff has happened on _ syria at the moment? the important stuff has happened on the _ syria at the moment? the important stuff has happened on the ground, l stuff has happened on the ground, not at doha where these stuff has happened on