Syrian rebel forces announced on Sunday (Dec. 8) that Damascus was “free" and claimed that President Bashar al-Assad had left the capital, marking the historic end of the Assad family's 50-year rule, hours after the fall of Homs.

“We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” wrote the Military Operations Command in a post on Telegram.

With the announcement, celebrations broke out in Aleppo and Damascus.&nbsp;

“To the displaced all over the world, a free Syria awaits you,” said the message.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he was willing to "cooperate" with any leadership that people choose, and is ready for any handover process.

"This country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbours and the world... but this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with it (that leadership) and offer all possible facilities," said Jalali in a video statement shared on his Facebook account.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/syrian-rebels-claim-to-capture-homs-close-in-on-damascus-as-assads-defences-collapse-782356">Syrian rebels claim to capture Homs, enter Damascus as President al-Assad leaves capital city</a>

“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in the statement, made after rebels announced that President Assad had fled from Syria to an unknown destination.

Earlier, the rebels stormed into the capital and took control of the notorious Saydnaya Military Prison, located in the north of Damascus.

“We broke the news to the Syrian people of liberating our prisoners and unchaining them, and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Saydnaya Prison,” said the rebels in the statement.

Now, the rebels are capturing state media offices in Damascus. “The Military Operations Command is moving to seize control of the Radio and Television Building to broadcast the victory announcement over Assad,” read the statement.

The Damascus airport is in chaos amid the storming of the capital by the rebel forces.

No imminent departures were seen on the flight monitoring websites as the airport looked largely unstaffed.

<h2>Syrian rebels capture Homs</h2>

Earlier, the leader of Syria's main rebel group announced that they had taken control of Syria's third-largest city, Homs.

Watch:&nbsp;Syrian Rebels Eye Damascus After Fall of Three Key Cities

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/syrian-rebels-eye-damascus-after-fall-of-three-key-cities-782353/embed" width="560"></iframe>

Abu Mohammed al-Golani said the capture of Homs was a "historic victory" and appealed to his followers not to hurt those who had chosen to surrender.&nbsp;

There has been renewed fighting in the last few days in Syria’s civil war, in which more than 300,000 people have lost their lives and around six million refugees have left the country since it started in 2011.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes the utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and non-state actors like the Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos&nbsp;and videos.

Syrian rebel forces announced on Sunday (Dec. 8) that Damascus was “free" and claimed that President Bashar al-Assad had left the capital, marking the historic end of the Assad family's 50-year rule, hours after the fall of Homs.

Syrian rebel forces announced on Sunday (Dec. 8) that Damascus was “free" and claimed that President Bashar al-Assad had left the capital, marking the historic end of the Assad family's 50-year rule, hours after the fall of Homs. “We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” wrote the Military Operations Command in a post on Telegram. With the announcement, celebrations broke out in Aleppo and Damascus. “To the displaced all over the world, a free Syria awaits you,” said the message. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he was willing to "cooperate" with any leadership that people choose, and is ready for any handover process. "This country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbours and the world... but this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with it (that leadership) and offer all possible facilities," said Jalali in a video statement shared on his Facebook account. Also Read: Syrian rebels claim to capture Homs, enter Damascus as President al-Assad leaves capital city “I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in the statement, made after rebels announced that President Assad had fled from Syria to an unknown destination. Earlier, the rebels stormed into the capital and took control of the notorious Saydnaya Military Prison, located in the north of Damascus. “We broke the news to the Syrian people of liberating our prisoners and unchaining them, and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Saydnaya Prison,” said the rebels in the statement. Now, the rebels are capturing state media offices in Damascus. “The Military Operations Command is moving to seize control of the Radio and Television Building to broadcast the victory announcement over Assad,” read the statement. The Damascus airport is in chaos amid the storming of the capital by the rebel forces. No imminent departures were seen on the flight monitoring websites as the airport looked largely unstaffed. Syrian rebels capture Homs Earlier, the leader of Syria's main rebel group announced that they had taken control of Syria's third-largest city, Homs. Watch: Syrian Rebels Eye Damascus After Fall of Three Key Cities Abu Mohammed al-Golani said the capture of Homs was a "historic victory" and appealed to his followers not to hurt those who had chosen to surrender. There has been renewed fighting in the last few days in Syria’s civil war, in which more than 300,000 people have lost their lives and around six million refugees have left the country since it started in 2011. (With inputs from agencies) Disclaimer: WION takes the utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and non-state actors like the Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

Damascus falls: Syrian rebels announce capital city 'free', PM says ready for handover

Hong Kong is marking 25 years since China took charge of the region from Britain. But how did Hong Kong come under British control?

Hong Kong marks 25 years under China. But how did it come under British control?

It's the first day of July and in Hong Kong, the date marks the anniversary of the city's handover from the British regime to China. This year, Chinese president Xi Jinping himself visited the city for leading Hong Kong 25th handover anniversary celebrations.

Chinese President Jinping in Hong Kong leads handover anniversary celebrations

An Egyptian court on Tuesday quashed a government decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, judicial sources said, over-ruling a deal that had sparked public outrage.&nbsp; 
 
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the controversial accord in April during a visit to Cairo by Saudi King Salman.&nbsp; 
 
A judge told AFP that the decision by the State Council, Egypt&#39;s highest administrative court, &quot;cancels the signing&quot; of the deal, which put two islands in the Straits of Tiran under Riyadh&#39;s control.&nbsp; 
 
The handover prompted an outcry from many Egyptians and sparked protests against Sisi.&nbsp; 
 
A court last month sentenced 51 people to two years in jail for taking part in protests against the accord. 
 
In the lead-up to the protests, police already made dozens of arrests to discourage a repeat of a large rally on April 15 at which demonstrators chanted for the &quot;fall of the regime&quot;. 
 
Egypt&#39;s appeals court in May overturned five-year jail terms for 47 people convicted of taking part in non-authorised protests, but upheld fines of more than $11,000 each. 
&nbsp; 
Tuesday&#39;s ruling on the islands deal is not final and may be challenged by the government. 
 
Lawyer Khaled Ali, who brought the case, told AFP the court&#39;s verdict &quot;shows that the two territories are Egyptian... and cannot be given away&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Saudi Arabia is one of Sisi&#39;s main regional backers, and the kingdom has provided Egypt with billions of dollars worth of aid and investment since the former army chief took power. 
 
Although generations of Egyptians have grown up believing the islands belonged to Egypt, Cairo insists they have always been Saudi territory, which was leased to it in 1950 following a request by Riyadh. 
 
Many Egyptians view Tiran and Sanafir with patriotic fondness because of the islands&#39; association with the four wars Egypt fought with Israel between 1948 and 1973.&nbsp; 
 
Lying at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, the islands can be used to control access to the Israeli port of Eilat. They were captured by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war before being returned to Egypt under the 1979 Camp David Accords. 
 
Cairo says the transfer agreement was based on a presidential decree issued by now ousted leader Hosni Mubarak who in 1990 even informed the United Nations about the matter. 
 
Critics accuse Sisi of &quot;selling&quot; the islands in return for Saudi investments. 
 
The judge, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Tuesday&#39;s verdict stressed that the two territories remain &quot;Egyptian&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

The islands,Tiran and Sanafir, have a patriotic significance for many Egyptians and the accord to handover the islands had sparked protests

An Egyptian court on Tuesday quashed a government decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, judicial sources said, over-ruling a deal that had sparked public outrage. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the controversial accord in April during a visit to Cairo by Saudi King Salman. A judge told AFP that the decision by the State Council, Egypt's highest administrative court, "cancels the signing" of the deal, which put two islands in the Straits of Tiran under Riyadh's control. The handover prompted an outcry from many Egyptians and sparked protests against Sisi. A court last month sentenced 51 people to two years in jail for taking part in protests against the accord. In the lead-up to the protests, police already made dozens of arrests to discourage a repeat of a large rally on April 15 at which demonstrators chanted for the "fall of the regime". Egypt's appeals court in May overturned five-year jail terms for 47 people convicted of taking part in non-authorised protests, but upheld fines of more than $11,000 each. Tuesday's ruling on the islands deal is not final and may be challenged by the government. Lawyer Khaled Ali, who brought the case, told AFP the court's verdict "shows that the two territories are Egyptian... and cannot be given away". Saudi Arabia is one of Sisi's main regional backers, and the kingdom has provided Egypt with billions of dollars worth of aid and investment since the former army chief took power. Although generations of Egyptians have grown up believing the islands belonged to Egypt, Cairo insists they have always been Saudi territory, which was leased to it in 1950 following a request by Riyadh. Many Egyptians view Tiran and Sanafir with patriotic fondness because of the islands' association with the four wars Egypt fought with Israel between 1948 and 1973. Lying at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, the islands can be used to control access to the Israeli port of Eilat. They were captured by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war before being returned to Egypt under the 1979 Camp David Accords. Cairo says the transfer agreement was based on a presidential decree issued by now ousted leader Hosni Mubarak who in 1990 even informed the United Nations about the matter. Critics accuse Sisi of "selling" the islands in return for Saudi investments. The judge, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Tuesday's verdict stressed that the two territories remain "Egyptian". (AFP)

Egypt court quashes handover of two Red Sea Islands to Saudi

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