Syria’s capital Damascus fell to rebels on Sunday as President Bashar al-Assad left the country, which brought an end to his 24-year authoritarian rule.

Syrian rebels made their first announcement on state television following a lightning offensive that took the world by surprise. Live footage showed many people celebrating the day and toppling the statue of Assad’s father.

Although a couple of European countries, including France, have hailed the development, but major countries like the United States and China are “closely following the developments” in the country.

Russia, Assad’s main ally, confirmed 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.

Geir Pedersen, UN envoy to Syria, stressed the need for a political solution to the Syrian situation.

Below are the scenes from the country.