the zones, i'm afraid i'll never see him again. no where? oh you lost under the stops december 18th. on dw, the mrs. dw news live from berlin. syrian rebels make their 1st public statement after seizing damascus. multiple sources say president bush charlo saw, has flooded the capital across the city. people are celebrating what rebels are calling a new era for the country. syria's prime minister says he's ready to assist with a peaceful transfer of government. the marietta m stain welcome. we begin in syria where the regime of president bashar al

assad has collapsed after a lightning rebel offensive that began less than 2 weeks ago. the capital damascus has been seized by a coalition of opposition groups led by the islamists. higher tax is sean, also known as h t. s. there are celebrations and the streets of the capital and across syria. assad has reportedly fund damascus and is now in an unknown location. long time ally, russia said assault had resigned after giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power. in a statement, the russian for ministry did not say where a son was now and said the kremlin wasn't involved in talks around his departure. we can now take a look at how events on folded over the last several hours on saturday night regional leaders and special law sides ally, russia held an emergency meeting about area in doha. but it appears the country

site was already sealed. want to get an idea of brothers. we are living the final moments of liberating homes by god's will. this is a historic moment that we distinguish between right and wrong law. shortly up to the rebel alliance released the statement. rebels declared the central city of homes fully liberated to the joy of pressure by law sides opponents . the damascus was next, and the rebel alliance faced hardly any resistance, a band and syrian army checkpoints, foreboding the big announcement. by the grace of gods, the city of damascus was liberated the tyrant shotwell assad is already this phone . and the oppressed. detainees were released from the regime's prison. the damascus

conquests operations room closed on the move. i had deemed brothers and citizens to preserve all the property of the free city and state. long live a proud sylvia for all citizens of all 6. these are the zip. as rebels in the pool to celebrate the triumphs and damascus. serious prime minister said he was still in the capital and willing to work with anyone to ensure a smooth transition of cow. i am here in my house. i have not left it and i do not intend to leave it except in a peaceful manner. so that i can ensure the continuity of the work of public institutions and state institutions and facilities and ensure there will be security and reassurance as to our fellow citizens. i hope that everyone will think rationally and think about their homeland and country to but he will be better.

so now on the streets of damascus and other syrian towns and cities, rational thinking appears to be taking a backseat to rule and motion as assets. opponents celebrate the end of his 20 full year long author retiree, enrolled mohammed tre to is d. w. 's bureau chief and b route and he travelled from the lebanese capital to syria earlier today and spoke to people on his way. there. here is some of what they told him about. this meant to stay and their plans for the future. the we're going back to our country, i own country. it's not assets, country, not to bonds, country, not russians, country, but our country. the 1st of all, how do you feel today? it's a mix of feelings. it's joy of sadness, kids, everything is all mixed up. and that's when i left, i was a little boy. i was made homeless,

but now i'm going back. i hope our country stays liberated. plus upsets being 12 years. we want to go back and see our homes or what's left of them as also what i'm going back to syria. i cannot describe how i feel after 8 years. i was a soldier and i escaped the injustice and the oppression. but now i'm going back with my head held high. i'm not bowing. we've been fighting l. a sod for 14 years, and now he fell in 2 weeks when the arab nation united. when all 14 regions of syria came together for the help of rob and d, w as a how to trace and joins us now from the lebanese syrian border. and good to see you. mohammed incredibly emotional. what we've been hearing from those people that you spoke with, what are they hoping for now that a sons' rule is over? yes it's, it's indeed a very emotional exception and time for a thousands of syrians here, never known, but also for many, many, many,

to support the syrian uprising and the tests the thoughts day. you know what, what i see people going to talk to all of them express very emotional feelings off, you know, happiness and, and joyful and wishful thinking that they will, that will go back to syria. now they will go back to rebuild their country. and as they said, they want to rebuild and used to a new country that is not corrupt. and that that is not ruled by a dictator. that's what i've heard from them today. well, how much is you've been speaking to us? we've been watching some more of the footage that you filmed during your journey from beverage to syria. what else can you tell us about what you saw? yeah, so in, in the world it, of course it's the same exceptional day, but it was a ghost town. this morning bought as we made our way to, uh, you know, the, uh,

the mazda, to be who damascus highway. the closer we got to the seo you bought, uh, the more intense and more crowded this evening. it became, of course it was full of uh, syrians, uh, holding the rubble slot. you syrian flag and uh, ceiling with happiness and uh they were celebrating the don't pull off the side. uh, obviously, and uh, many of them made their way uh to the. busy border crossing where i'm understanding now and they entered c o u i myself, was able to answer for some time the other side and soon side. and yet we have been hearing that the lebanese army has sent additional troops to the lebanese syrian border. what's behind that? yeah, so these, um you want it to be uh, pads for the carriers that might be generated by the influx of tens of thousands of

uh so you and just like what happened today to little bit easier. you on board the either crossing from the bend up to 3, or attempting to cross from syria to where its uh, the, been on it is the case actually indeed as you see behind me, there's a crowd on the other lane off the board and that's, that's many, many syrians will flip the latest events, and so you're trying to, across to what's the been on the course. anybody's authorities are blocking them. the end is only allowing that on the some exceptional cases to come in in the country. but yeah, that's, that's the, that's the scene here tonight. there are of course, many syrians who have been living in 11 on for many years, many of them escaping via sondra gene. are they prepared to go back to syria permanently? yeah, well uh at least what we seen is the 10s of thousands of them. uh this morning i've already made the weights that box they crossed to see or yeah,

with all their wishes and you know, some of them wanted to check on their property. some of them are joining somebody back in this area. so it's, it really depends on who you ask though. so some of them are leaving. see that's what's the one on some of them who are still here or sending. busy right, facing me on the east side of the border that they are left with uncertainty. so they're happy about the don't full facade, but they don't want to across to see are y'all know, as you know, the future to them is unclear. they are left with uncertainty. they want to be sure that the next phase and see i would be and would look much better before they go back home. they tell you it's mohammad tray to on the 11 is syrian border mohammed . thank you so much for your reporting as well as syrian rebels announced the fall of president bashar assad government new video from damascus has emerged showing a deserted presidential palace. some people appear to be looting items including

tvs, while armed men and civilians, room deserted hallways and rooms that once belonged to the house of president and his father before him. the sod family had ruled syria for more than half a century. simon maiden is a lighter and international relations at lancaster university in the u. k. and a short time ago, i asked him whether we could really expect a violence free transfer of power in syria as well. i think we need to contextualize this with this as a consequence of the best part. ready 13 years worth of opposition to the side regime regime. let's not forget that killed 500000 people. that was responsible for the displacement of 11000000 people within and outside of serious. so this is a, an incredibly big jubilant moment. the syrians, it's a very exciting moment. there are of course marietta questions. they've got a,

could be asked about what happens next, how syria moves forward. but from now, i guess there was just a sense of relief. but if you forget that people whose family members are being held in prison to be tortured, who's been killed, they've got a sense of relief, the family members back, and they don't contributing to rebuild the syria or the collective. and that's what the, the opposition figures a claim for. i know it takes away whether they can envisage that and make it real. i guess, is another question for today. you see, the jubilant seems on the screen right now. syrians are happy, they are believed to see the bucket besides america missed it. well, we also just heard the clip from one of the rebel leaders saying they would like to ensure and inclusive syria. but just how realistic is it that this kind of inclusive democratic syria could actually be established?

one want to take, it's a really difficult question to answer because you look at states such as jo, maybe u k, the us to have no enjoy. ready 14 years, a devastating conflict, and they all states for the loan democratic tradition. milton offered terry and tradition on the tyrant, such a specialist that like syria and they, the societies germany, do you come us, all right, with the vision. and so to transition out of a conflict to move into a post conflict setting with all the trauma, with all the grievance, with all the anger that has been cultivate to deliberate bias, the supporters, it's going to be incredibly difficult to move beyond that. but yet, this, this sense of jubilation and elation the sub has go. i think it's a thing that will unite people and bring them together and working towards a future that is full syrians. one syrian people. this is,

there's various people have been saying that i think is what, what people will be working towards. and that is the, the hope to overcome these divisions. because 14 years of history to show what the vision can do. well, we also have to look at the fact that the group leading the rebels have to fear l. sean or h t s. as it's also known, this group is still considered to be a terrorist organization. by then you, when the united states, turkey and other countries, how much support does this group actually have among the syrian public? so that's a difficult question to answer because obviously they have a great deal of support. ready because they've been able to do what they've been able to do, but they've also been able to cultivate a degree of support, perhaps not necessarily people who shared their idea of logical french and all that political vision. but who shared that desire to talk, alyssa? and in that respect age, it's got lots of different sort of formula or cheese to that question. whether there is a shared ideological support where there was a shed,

sort of political support, whether there was just a should desire to, to talk to outside. so it's difficult to really answer that with any sense of clarity right now. but what we have see is that millions of serious have rallied around this pool was not necessarily expressing support for it, but expressions of points of desire to talk to us that and that is, was ultimately that was simon nathan of lancaster university. you're watching the w news. let's get you. a quick reminder of our top story. people in syria are celebrating the collapse of the regime of president bashar al assad following the lightning revel offensive. the capital damascus has been seized by a coalition of opposition groups. san has reportedly flynn damascus and is now in an unknown location. and that's the latest on the that will use this

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