Portal:Current events/2024 December 8

December 8, 2024 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- 2024 Syrian opposition offensives
  - Battle of Damascus (2024)
    - Fall of the Assad dynasty
      - Syrian president Bashar al-Assad leaves the country on a flight from Damascus International Airport to an unknown destination. (BBC News) (Al Jazeera)
      - Senior Syrian government officials are reportedly in talks with the Syrian opposition and are preparing to defect. (CNN)
      - Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali says he is not leaving Syria and will commit to a peaceful transition of power to the Syrian opposition. Al-Jalali also calls on rebel forces not to damage state institutions in Damascus or harm civilians. (Axios)
      - The Syrian Army says Bashar al-Assad's rule has ended and orders all of its troops to lay down arms and stop fighting. (Reuters)
      - Syrian rebels seize state television and announce to the nation that Bashar al-Assad has been toppled and a new government will be formed. (Xinhua)
      - Rebel forces enter the Presidential Palace. (Al Arabiya)
    - The rebel Military Operations Command says its forces have entered Damascus and are searching for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, whose whereabouts are unknown. (CNN)
    - Heavy gunfire is reported in Barzeh as rebel forces advance towards the city centre. Residents say power is out. (BBC News)
    - Rebel forces take control of Sednaya Prison and begin releasing thousands of prisoners, including many political prisoners. (Barrons)
    - Anti-government forces say the Assad government has been overthrown as they take full control of Damascus. (NHK)
    - Thousands of Damascene residents gather in Umayyad Square to celebrate the collapse of the Assad regime. The Syrian Defence Ministry building is reportedly abandoned. (BBC News)
- Israel and the Syrian civil war
  - Israel–Syria relations
    - Israeli tanks and troops enter Syria's Quneitra Governorate to reportedly establish a buffer zone. (The Times of Israel)

Disasters and accidents

Syrian Air Flight 9218
- A Syrian Air Ilyushin Il-76T disappears from radar near Homs, Syria, after departure from Damascus International Airport. (Tampa Free Press)