The end of Bashar Al-Assad and his family's half-century-long regime in Syria came gradually, then all at once.
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), also known as the Syrian Rebels, brought an end to the 13-year civil war after taking over the capital, Damascus, in a lightning offensive.
Bashar Al-Assad, who was Syria's ruler for 24 years after succeeding his father, Hafez Assad, fled the country shortly after his regime collapsed. Russian state media reported he was granted asylum in Moscow.
Here are the dominoes that led to Assad's downfall
How the fall of Assad's regime began
On Wednesday, November 27, armed rebel militants launched a large-scale attack on government-controlled areas in north-western Syria.
[Wednesday November 27]The militants claimed to have taken control of more than 15 villages from government forces in north-western Aleppo province.
Video from the day, verified by the ABC, shows pro-rebel forces celebrating as they drove commandeered tanks and other armoured vehicles down the road, while drone footage showed regime soldiers fleeing from their positions in Kabtan al-Dzabal.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or Syrian Rebels, were formerly the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda and known as the Nusra Front. HTS is classed as a terrorist organisation by Australia, the United Nations, and the United States.
The Syrian government and its allies responded with air strikes and shelling in an attempt to halt their advances.
The attack on Aleppo followed weeks of simmering low-level violence, including government attacks on rebel-held areas.
Türkiye, who has been a main backer of Syrian opposition groups, said the rebels began a limited offensive to stop the attacks, but it expanded as government forces began to retreat.
The fall of Aleppo
On Thursday, November 28, the rebels' offensive expanded to reach the countryside of Idlib province amid reports government troops were retreating.
The following day, the rebels entered Aleppo, Syria's largest city, for the first time since they were pushed out in 2016 after a bloody military campaign by Syrian government forces backed by Russia and Iran.
There was little evidence of resistance by government forces. Footage later filmed by Syrians, and verified by ABC NEWS Verify, showed fighter jets and other military vehicles sitting abandoned at air bases in Aleppo.
Word and footage also began circulating of pro-regime soldiers being captured.
By the next day, Aleppo fell to HTS control. Militants raised a flag over the city's citadel and international airport.
The Syrian armed forces claimed to have redeployed troops and equipment in preparation for a counterattack.
By evening, rebels seized at least four towns in the central Hama province and claimed to have entered the provincial capital.
Key allies fail to support weakened military
President Assad's control of Syria has been largely built on support from key allies such as Russia and Iran.
[Saturday November 30]On December 1, the Syrian military launched ground and air counterattacks in Idlib and Aleppo.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Damascus and told President Assad that Tehran would support his counteroffensive.
But Assad received little, if any, help from his allies.
Russia, who helped the Assad regime crush the opposition during the country's civil war, was engaged in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese movement backed by Iran, had sent thousands of fighters but was weakened by its year-long conflict with Israel.
Capitalising on the government's diminished position, the rebels pushed south on December 2, advancing to within 10 kilometres of Hama, the country's fourth-largest city and a key crossroads in central Syria, about 200 kilometres north of Damascus.
State media reported fierce fighting in the province, and both state media and a UK-based observer group said government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, had recaptured some territory.
Video posted days later showed rebels claiming the capture of Hama Air Base and seizing nearly a dozen Russian fighter jets.
Celebrations spread
On Thursday, December 5, after several days of fighting, the rebels swept into Hama.
[Thursday December 5]Dozens of fighters are seen firing into the air in celebration in Assi Square, the site of massive anti-government protests in 2011 when the civil war began.
The Syrian army said it redeployed to positions outside the city to protect civilians.
By Friday, December 6, the rebels rapidly seized two towns on the outskirts of Homs, Syria's third-largest city.
About 40 kilometres south of Hama, Homs is the gateway to Damascus and the location of one of Syria's two state-owned oil refineries.
The government denied reports that its military had withdrawn from the city.
Top diplomats from countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Russia held talks on Syria in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Homs falls and Assad's grip weakens
[Saturday December 7]Saturday December 7, the rebels took Homs after government forces abandoned it. They said they had encircled Damascus and were carrying out the "final stage" of their offensive.
The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, requested urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an "orderly political transition," as Syrian state media denied Assad had fled the country.
Assad statues toppled
On Sunday, December 8, Syrian state television broadcast a statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been set free.
Rebels commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani visits the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and calls Assad's fall a victory for "the Islamic nation".
Russian officials and Iranian state TV confirmed Assad had left Syria.
Russian state news agencies later reported he and his family were in Moscow and were granted asylum.
[Sunday December 8]Mass celebrations spread across the country.
Video, verified by the ABC, shows statues of Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez being toppled by cheering crowds.
In Hama, hundreds of thousands of people filled Assi Square while Syrians were seen looting the presidential palace in Damascus.
The imagery is reminiscent of Iraqis pulling down the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad's Firdos Square.
Some of the fallen monuments were seen being dragged by a truck, with cheering citizens riding it like a sleigh.
Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said Syria's government was ready to "extend its hand" to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.
