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The developments began late Saturday night and into Sunday morning with a significant turn of events. The opposition successfully took control of Homs, Syria's third-largest city, following earlier victories in Aleppo and Hama, as well as gaining full control of Idlib province.

The opposition declared that it had managed to liberate four cities within 24 hours: Daraa, Quneitra, Sweida, and Homs. They later added the town of Qusayr in Homs province to their list of gains and declared that their sights were now set on the capital, Damascus.

As dawn broke on Sunday, the opposition claimed to have stormed the Sednaya prison in Damascus countryside, freeing prisoners and putting an "end to the era of injustice" in the facility. Meanwhile, U.S. media outlets reported, citing "informed sources," that the Syrian regime's military defenses had effectively collapsed. CNN quoted an insider stating that "Damascus has militarily fallen."

Shortly thereafter, the armed opposition announced that they had taken control of the Syrian state radio and television building.

Simultaneously, The New York Times quoted Iranian Revolutionary Guard officials confirming that opposition forces had entered Damascus and that regime forces were retreating.

The rapid developments continued, with local sources reporting that demonstrators had reached Umayyad Square in central Damascus. Syrian media sites confirmed that all flights at Damascus International Airport had been suspended, and the facility evacuated.

By 6 a.m. local time, the armed opposition declared that "the free Syrian people have toppled Bashar al-Assad."

Simultaneously, opposition sources informed Al Jazeera that regime officers and personnel had vacated the Ministry of Defense and General Staff headquarters in Damascus.

Reuters cited a Syrian military source indicating that the army command was notifying officers of the regime's fall.