Inside the Final Days of the Assad Regime in Syria NYT | Top Stories Ben Hubbard, Farnaz Fassihi, Christina Goldbaum and Hwaida Saad 22 December 2024 at 06:56 President Bashar al-Assad, who wielded fear and force over Syria for more than two decades, fled the country under the cover of night — and a fake political address. © David Guttenfelder/The New York TimesA banner of former President Bashar al-Assad hanging north of Hama, Syria, was defaced after his ouster this month.