The Syrian armed opposition took control of the capital, Damascus, without significant resistance on Sunday in a lightning attack that toppled President Bashar al-Assad and forced him to flee to Russia, after a 13-year civil war and six decades of authoritarian rule by the Assad family.

The fall of the Assad government eliminated a stronghold through which Iran and Russia were exercising their influence throughout the Arab world, in one of the most important turning points in the Middle East for generations.

Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, said on his channel on the Telegram application that Moscow granted Assad and his family asylum.

The overthrow of Assad by Turkish-backed Islamists would limit Iran's ability to deploy weapons to its allies and could deprive Russia of its naval base in the Mediterranean.

The fall of Assad also paves the way for millions of refugees to return to their homes after spending more than 10 years in camps in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.

For Syrians, these events brought a sudden and unexpected end to a war that had raged for years, with hundreds of thousands killed, cities destroyed, the economy damaged by global sanctions, and no solution appearing to be in sight.

Abu Muhammad al-Julani, leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, said to a large crowd in the Umayyad Mosque in central Damascus, “How many people have been displaced around the world? How many people live in tents? How many people have drowned in the seas?”, referring to the refugees who drowned while trying to reach Europe.

He added, “A new history, my brothers, is being written in the entire region after this great victory,” noting that building a new Syria, which he said would be a “beacon for the Islamic nation,” requires hard work.

Stunned and joyful prisoners emerged from Syrian prisons on Sunday after the armed opposition opened them.

The families cried for joy at their reunion, and the released prisoners ran through the streets of Damascus, raising their fingers to indicate the number of years they had spent in prison.

In a video clip, a person was heard saying, “We overthrew the regime,” causing a prisoner to shout and jump for joy.

The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, said that it had sent five emergency teams to Saydnaya Prison to search for secret cellars inside the prison where detainees were expected.