Who is Bashar al-Assad, the deposed leader of Syria?

After more than 13 years of war, hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced, the 24-year rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has come to an end.

Large crowds on Sunday gathered in the streets of Damascus to celebrate, after opposition forces took control of the capital in a stunning advance that saw them capture several key cities within days.

Al-Assad reportedly fled the country on a plane, ending more than 53 years of his family's authoritarian rule over Syria.

His departure leaves a country in ruins and millions of Syrians wondering what will happen next.

A man who was not meant to lead

When al-Assad inherited power in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez, there was cautious optimism about political change in Syria.

Originally an eye doctor studying in London, al-Assad was never meant to become president. He was recalled to Syria after the death of his older brother, Basil. In order for Bashar to take the presidency, parliament had to lower the minimum age for candidates from 40 to 34. He won a referendum with more than 97 percent of the vote, where he was the only candidate.

The quiet and reserved man initially raised hopes for reform, but apart from some limited economic changes, his rule closely resembled his father's 30-year authoritarian rule.

The quiet and reserved man initially raised hopes for reform, but apart from some limited economic changes, his rule closely resembled his father's 30-year authoritarian rule.

The Syrian uprising

A decade later, in March 2011, al-Assad faced his first major challenge as Syrians took to the streets demanding democracy, civil liberties and the release of political prisoners.

Al-Assad dismissed the uprising as a foreign plot, labeling his opponents as "terrorists."

As leader of the country's only legal political power, the Baath Party, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, his response was a brutal blow.

This only intensified the protests, which quickly escalated.

In 2012, the government used heavy weapons against rebel groups, including airstrikes. The unrest spread, sparking an armed rebellion that drew regional and international powers.

Grasped by power

In the years that followed, al-Assad's government rose to power with the political and military support of Russia and Iran, as well as the Tehran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Al-Assad gradually managed to regain most of the territory his forces had initially lost. But he ruled over a divided nation, with only partial control and a narrow base of support, particularly from the Alawite minority of which his family is a part.

A ceasefire was declared in March 2020 following an agreement between Russia and neighboring Turkey, which has historically supported several opposition groups in Syria.

But Syria continued to suffer from frequent bombings and fighting, while al-Assad ignored a United Nations-led political process to bring about a democratic transition.

For years, al-Assad presented himself as the protector of Syria's minorities, positioning himself as a shield against "extremism" and the only force capable of restoring stability to the war-torn country.

In several elections held over the years, including during the war in government-controlled areas, official results showed al-Assad winning an overwhelming majority of the vote. In May 2021, he was re-elected for a fourth term with 95.1 percent of the votes cast.

But his government was unable to regain legitimacy in the eyes of most of the international community, with a number of countries and human rights groups claiming the elections were neither free nor fair.

Meanwhile, his government faced accusations of killing and imprisoning thousands, as well as starving entire communities in besieged rebel-held areas during the war. It was also accused on multiple occasions of using chemical weapons against its own people, charges that al-Assad denied.

In 2023, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons concluded that there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in the April 7, 2018 attacks in Douma, near Damascus.

In November 2023, France issued an international arrest warrant for al-Assad, charging him with complicity in crimes against humanity related to chemical attacks for which his government was blamed in 2013. The following day, the International Court of Justice, the UN's top court, ordered the Syrian government to end torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.