section_path: Background
section_name: Background
paragraph_text: Background
  
  On 27 November 2024, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) announced that it had launched an offensive, dubbed "Deterrence of Aggression," against pro-government forces in western Aleppo Governorate. The offensive was led by HTS and supported mainly by the Syrian National Army as part of the ongoing Syrian civil war that began with the Syrian Revolution in 2011. This was the first military offensive launched by opposition forces in the Syrian civil war since the Idlib ceasefire in March 2020. On 29 November, HTS, followed by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), entered Aleppo and seized control of most of the city as pro-government forces collapsed. The following day, opposition forces swiftly advanced, taking control of numerous towns and villages while pro-government troops fell apart. They then pushed toward Hama in central Syria, ultimately capturing it on 5 December.
  
  By 6 December, the SDF had captured Deir ez-Zor in an offensive east of the Euphrates. At the same time, the newly formed Southern Operations Room and Al-Jabal Brigade seized Daraa and Suwayda in a southern offensive, while HTS advanced further south toward Homs. The US-backed Syrian Free Army (SFA) took control of Palmyra in the southeast of the country. On 7 December, Southern Operations Room forces advanced into the Rif Dimashq Governorate from the south, reaching within 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of Damascus. Opposition forces advanced towards Damascus while simultaneously launching an offensive into Homs city, eventually reaching the suburbs of the capital.
  
  On 8 December, the Assad regime collapsed during a major offensive by opposition forces. The capture of Damascus marked the end of the Assad family 's rule, which had governed Syria as a hereditary sectarian totalitarian regime since Hafez al-Assad assumed power in 1971 following a coup d'état. As a rebel coalition moved closer to Damascus, reports indicated that Bashar al-Assad had fled the capital by plane to Russia, where he joined his exiled family and was granted political asylum by the Russian government. After his departure, opposition forces announced their victory on state television. At the same time, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his resignation and departure from Syria.