Syrian President Bashar al-Assad secretly fled the country as rebel forces closed in on Damascus, ending his family's 50-year rule. Assad's departure, shrouded in secrecy, left his government in disarray.

The Israeli military hit weapons depots and air defenses, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Israel has said it aims to keep military equipment away from extremists.

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, condemned what he called Israel’s “flimsy” excuses for its air strikes but said the rebels must not get distracted from rebuilding the country, according to an interview published by the pro-opposition Syria TV.

In churches across long-stifled Syria, Christians have marked the first Sunday services since Bashar Assad’s ouster in an air of transformation. Some were in tears.

The United Nations special envoy for Syria has called for a quick end to Western sanctions after the ouster of President Bashar Assad

Sky News’ Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay reports from Latakia, Syria, where Russian troops appear to be dismantling military equipment following Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s lightning-fast offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad’s regime.