Anti-government forces in Syria announced on state TV that "Damascus is free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad." The rebels say they have taken control of the country's capital, virtually ending Assad's rule.

The situation in the Damascus is still unclear, but the rebels claim that President Assad has fled the capital. His government has repeatedly said on social media that their claims are untrue.

Since intensifying their advance in late November, the insurgents have taken control of the major northern city of Aleppo, the key central city of Hama, and Homs, a key transportation hub in central Syria that leads to Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that local rebel factions had taken control of most of the country's southern areas. It says government troops have withdrawn from Daraa, Suwaidaa and Quneitra in the southwest.

On Sunday, the rebels announced on social media that they had begun entering the capital Damascus.

Over the past few weeks, opposition forces have made major advances by taking advantage of the conflicts in Lebanon and Ukraine.

These conflicts are hampering efforts by the Lebanon-based Shia Muslim group Hezbollah and Russia to provide military support to the Assad government.