The Independent’s Bel Trew shows struggle of crossing Syria border after fall of Assad dictatorship

A border that would have been populated by Bashar al-Assad's regime forces was deserted as The Independent international correspondent Bel Trew crossed over from Lebanon.

The Assad regime’s brutal half-century-long grip on Syria came to an end after opposition insurgents, led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized control of Damascus on Sunday following more than 13 years of civil war.

Russia, a close ally that has propped up the regime for years and will see this as a major blow, said Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. Late on Sunday, Russian state media said Assad and his family had been granted asylum and were in Moscow.