Syria’s Ba'ath party regime collapses after 61 years in power

Tengrinews.kz – The 61-year rule of Syria's Ba'ath Party, which had been in power since 1963, has officially come to an end, according to Anadolu Agency.

The Ba'ath Party (Arab Socialist Renaissance Party) first seized power in Syria in 1963. In 1970, Hafez al-Assad, father of current President Bashar al-Assad, took control through an internal coup within the party and was declared president in 1971. Bashar al-Assad assumed leadership of the Ba'ath regime in 2000 following his father’s death.

The Assad regime and the Ba'ath Party's control ended on December 8, when rebel forces opposing the government entered Damascus. Reports claim President Bashar al-Assad fled the country, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

According to media reports, Assad left the Syrian capital on a plane. Flight tracking data shows that a plane departed from Damascus Airport, last seen flying over western Homs before disappearing from radar.

Social media users speculated that Assad was on board the aircraft. It was reported that the plane descended to 1,600 feet before vanishing from radar and exhibited "unusual movements."

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that Egyptian and Jordanian officials urged Assad to leave Syria and facilitate the creation of a transitional council with opposition representatives. The newspaper claims Assad has already sent his children and wife to Russia.

Syrian Prime Minister Muhammad Ghazi al-Jalali, however, remains in Damascus. He stated that he is ready to "cooperate" with any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. According to him, he has no knowledge of the whereabouts of either Assad or Defense Minister Ali Abbas.