From Newsweek:
Syria’s army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad‘s rule has ended following a lightning rebel offensive. Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination, two senior army officers told Reuters, as opposition forces entered the capital.
A Syrian Airplane took off from Damascus airport around the time rebels reported taking the capital, according to Flightradar data. The aircraft initially flew toward Syria’s coastal region, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect, before making an abrupt U-turn and disappearing from tracking systems. Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom,” witnesses told reporters.