Rebels in Syria have freed prisoners from the notorious Saydnaya prison, where thousands were tortured and killed, in a significant development that has sparked celebrations in Damascus. Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi reassured religious and ethnic minorities that Syria is for everyone, not just one sect. Residents prayed in mosques and chanted anti-Assad slogans. The Defense Ministry was looted, and looters walked into the presidential palace and took household items. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed Assad had left Damascus on a flight Sunday. The rebel advances marked the largest in recent years, leading to the fall of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs. The rebels, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al-Qaida affiliate, have established a “salvation government” in northwestern Syria. U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen called for urgent talks in Geneva for a political transition, and Qatar hosted a meeting of key regional players to discuss the situation. Meanwhile, Israel seized the buffer zone in the Golan Heights as Syrian soldiers abandoned their positions. This marks a significant turn of events in the conflict in Syria, with potential for a new political landscape to develop.
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