Syria’s capital woke up Sunday to chanting, cheering and gunfire in celebration of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad after rebels said they entered the city and toppled the longtime ruler.

At the dawn call to prayer, some mosques were broadcasting religious chants usually reserved for festive occasions, while also urging residents to stay home with the city engulfed in uncertainty just hours into the rebels’ takeover.

Rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions have pressed a lightning offensive since November 27, sweeping swathes of the country from government control, including major cities Aleppo, Hama and Homs and entering the capital Damascus early Sunday.

In extraordinary images, rebel fighters announced on state television that they had toppled “tyrant” Assad, who war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said had “fled”.

From the garden of a shopping centre, dozens of Damascenes were celebrating, chanting “Allahu akbar”, or God is greatest, and standing on a smashed statue of Assad’s father Hafez that they had torn down, AFP footage showed.

Gunmen spread out through some Damascus streets, shooting into the air and chanting, “Syria is ours and not the Assad family’s.”

Following are reactions to events in Syria.

‘Waiting a long time for this’

“I can’t believe I’m living this moment,” tearful Damascus resident Amer Batha told AFP by phone from the capital’s Ummayad Square, where witnesses said dozens of people had gathered to celebrate.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” said Batha, as rebels and a war monitor declared the end of decades of Assad family rule amid 13 years of grinding civil war.

“We are starting a new history for Syria,” Batha added.

Elsewhere, in the Shaghur neighbourhood, women ululated from balconies, some throwing rice at passing fighters who were shooting into the air.

Ilham Basatina, 50, said she couldn’t believe that “after today”, she would no longer have to “be afraid”.

“There is huge happiness today, and it won’t be complete until the criminal has been held to account,” she said from her balcony, referring to Assad.

Waddah Abd Rabbo, editor in chief of pro-government online daily Al-Watan, wrote on social media: “Syrian media and media workers are not guilty. They, and we with them, were only carrying out instructions and publishing the news they sent us.”

Assad’s Baath party ruled with an iron fist, heavily curtailing freedoms including freedom of the press, with only state media or outlets close to the government permitted to operate.

Famous Syrian actor Ayman Zeidan, who hadn’t publicly criticised the Assad rule before, wrote on Facebook: “How delusional I was. Perhaps we were prisoners of a culture of fear, or maybe we feared change because we imagined it would lead to blood and chaos.”

“But here we are, entering a new phase with men who impressed us with their nobility […] and the desire to restore the unity of the Syrian people,” he added.

US President Joe Biden

“President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners,” the White House said in a statement.

US president-elect Donald Trump

“Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer,” Trump posted on X.

“Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success.”

Russian Foreign Ministry

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Assad left office and departed the country after ordering a peaceful handover of power to the rebels.

In a statement, the ministry did not say where Assad was now and said Russia had not taken part in the talks about his departure. It added that Russia’s military bases in Syria had been put on a state of high alert, but that there was no serious threat to them at the current time.

The ministry said that Moscow was in touch with all Syrian opposition groups and urged all sides to refrain from violence.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with Geir Pedersen, the UN envoy for Syria, in Doha on Saturday. They discussed potential measures to stabilise the situation in Syria, the Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.

French President Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s “barbaric state” in Syria, sending wishes of peace to the war-torn nation’s people.

“The barbaric state has fallen. At last,” Macron wrote on X. “I pay tribute to the Syrian people, to their courage, to their patience. In this moment of uncertainty, I send them my wishes for peace, freedom, and unity. “

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani

“I am following with concerned attention the evolution of the situation in Syria. I am in constant contact with our embassy in Damascus and with the office of the Prime Minister. I have called an emergency meeting at 10:30 at the Foreign Ministry”, Tajani said on X.

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen

Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen underscores the clear desire expressed by millions of Syrians that stable and inclusive transitional arrangements are put in place, a statement said.

He urged all Syrians to prioritise dialogue, unity, and respect for international humanitarian law and human rights as they seek to rebuild their society, adding he stands ready to support the Syrian people in their journey toward a stable and inclusive future.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that any new government in Syria must not threaten neighbouring nations.

Fidan said Turkey had worked with Syrians and regional and international actors to “assure the regional countries that the new administration and new Syria will not pose a threat for its neighbours, on the contrary, the new Syria will address the existing problems, will eliminate the threats”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga

Ukraine has welcomed Assad’s ouster, saying that authoritarians who rely on Moscow are destined to fall while noting Kyiv’s support for Syria’s people.

“Assad had fallen. This is how it has always been and will always be for dictators who bet on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. He always betrays those who rely on him,” foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said on social media, reaffirming Kyiv’s “support for the Syrian people”.

Philippines’ department of foreign affairs

The Philippines calls on all concerned parties to exercise restraint and refrain from further violence, to avert further casualties and deaths of civilians.

We express concern regarding the situation of our Filipinos in Syria and advise them to take the necessary precautions and stay in contact with the Philippine Embassy in Damascus.

Senior UAE official urges to avoid ‘impending chaos’

Meanwhile, a senior United Arab Emirates official urged Syrians to collaborate to avert chaos after rebels said they had seized Damascus and announced the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.

“We hope that the Syrians will work together, that we don’t just see another episode of impending chaos,” presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.

“When people ask, ‘where is Bashar al-Assad going to?’, this is really at the end of the day a footnote in history,” he told the forum.

“I don’t think it’s important. As I said, ultimately this is a footnote really to bigger events,” the Emirati official added when pressed on the question by journalists.