Iraqi media are reporting that the Iraqi embassy building in Damascus has been evacuated.

This is also being reported by the AFP news agency, which is quoting a diplomatic source.

Earlier we brought you news that the Iranian embassy in the city has been attacked.

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

More now from the diplomatic advisor to the President of the UAE, Anwar Gargash.

He said the UAE had three main concerns about events in Syria. “I think number one is the sort of territorial integrity which is still under threat. Our second concern is with regards to really getting out of this spiral of chaos and violence that the Arab world is seeing since the Arab Spring in 2011. Our third concern is about extremism and terrorism.”

He blamed the fall of the regime on Assad’s refusal to implement political reforms: “There was a major failure in the part of politics and policy. Assad did not really use the lifeline that was thrown to him by various Arab countries including the UAE and did not use that to open up, to move on the constitutional discussions that were taking place. He also did not open up to Turkey.”

“Ultimately this was a huge political failure. We have seen the rapid collapse of the regime in part because of the political failure.”

“We have to keep a close eye. We are very worried about chaos. We are very worried about extremism. We remain worried about territorial integrity of Syria.”

“We don’t know the shape of developments in Syria. Is this going to be a sort of wiser group that will be able actually to transcend Syria’s tortured history or are we going to go back into a re-incarnation of radical and terrorist organisations? I think Syria is still not out of the woods because Syria is still, if you look at the different colours, is still a very patchy picture in terms of its territorial integrity.”

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

The United Arab Emirates has said it remains “very worried” by threats to the territorial integrity of Syria and the risk that the country may succumb to extremism and terrorism.

“Syria is still not out of the woods,” said Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President of the UAE. “We hope the Syrians will work together, that we don't just see another episode of impending chaos.”

Gargash, one of the most experienced and respected diplomats in the Gulf, was addressing the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, organised by the London-based think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

He said he did not know where Bashar al-Assad was but did not deny suggestions that Syria’s former president might live in exile in Abu Dhabi. He said the question was not important, a “footnote in history” like where Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm lived after WWI.

“When people are asked, you know, where is Bashar al-Assad, I say when you look at this, at the end of the day, this is a footnote in history,” he said. “I am reminded a little bit by Kaiser Wilhelm the second in 1918 who went to a long exile that he spent for many years, many people think in Holland. I don’t think when you look at that period, I don’t think that his is really critical.”

Iranian media reports that Iran's embassy in Damascus has been attacked.

Video shared by Arabic news organisation Al Arabiya shows damage to the building's exterior, including broken windows, and rooms in disarray with papers scattered across the floor.

Footage also shows a large image on the building of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah – both deceased – being torn by a crowd.

The image below, from the Reuters news agency, shows the front of the building, with the picture of the two men clearly torn.

Image source, Reuters

Barbara Plett Usher
reporting from Damascus

Many people are afraid of what is going to happen, especially the minority religious communities, as well as regime supporters, people in the army, and so on.

We met someone on the Lebanese side of the border who was crying because he was so frustrated. He was afraid that he would be targeted by the rebels, so he was trying to get his family out, and he hasn't been able to do that.

I think many people are going to be keeping a low profile for the next few days.

You also have this rejoicing, with many people feeling that there has been a very authoritarian regime for decades.

It was significant that one of the first things the rebels did was go to the prison to release the inmates, among them probably many political dissidents who had been detained and tortured. That was one of the many prisons infamous for that.

There's the possibility of change; maybe there's the possibility of a political solution. There is also the possibility of chaos or more violence.

One of the crucial things is going to be how coordinated this all is.

Image source, Getty Images

'In comments released this morning, Geir O. Pedersen, the United Nations' special envoy to Syria, says today "marks a watershed moment in Syria’s history".

The country has endured nearly 14 years of civil war, facing "relentless suffering and unspeakable loss," he says.

He adds: "this dark chapter has left deep scars, but today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new one—one of peace, reconciliation, dignity, and inclusion for all Syrians."

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Damascus

Image source, Reuters

We have just passed through the main central square in Damascus; there are a lot of men with guns here. They're firing them into the air – clearly in a celebratory manner.

We passed another military compound - it looks as if people are going in and taking weapons, and at least one military vehicle that I saw seemed to be commandeered.

We know that when the rebels first entered overnight, there was quite a rush of people through the centre in a joyful manner, chanting that Syria was free.

Today is the day when we find out more about what the new situation is going to be like.

We've had comments from the prime minister talking about an orderly transition of power and the possibility of free elections to elect the next government. At the moment, everybody is just figuring out what the new balance of power means.

As we've been reporting, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly fled the country. However, his whereabouts remain unknown.

A diplomatic adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates says he doesn't know if Assad is in the UAE.

Speaking to reporters at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Anwar Gargash declined to comment on speculation that Assad might seek refuge in the UAE.

"When people ask, 'where is Bashar al-Assad going to?', this is really, at the end of the day, a footnote in history," he says. "I don't think it's important. As I said, ultimately this is a footnote really to bigger events."

Gargash also mentioned that Syria is "not out of the woods" and remains vulnerable to extremism and terrorism.

Here at the news desk in London, we're receiving images from Damascus as residents wake up to the rebels' announcement that they have captured the city.

In the photos below, you can see people holding up or posing with Syrian opposition flags as smoke rises on the horizon.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Rebel fighters in Syria claim they've ousted Bashar al-Assad, who has ruled the country for nearly 25 years. Reports suggest Assad has fled the city by plane to an unknown location.

• Earlier, rebels appeared on state-owned TV and radio to declare victory, saying they've ended Assad's rule and freed political prisoners
• Some Syrians have been celebrating in Damascus and in other major cities following news that rebels have taken the capital
• Regime forces in Deir al-Zour surrendered to rebels, according to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel group at the centre of the new offensive against the government

• Crowds are gathering at the Syria-Lebanon border as people wait to return home. Many fled to Lebanon after the Syrian civil war began in 2011
• Syria's prime minister says he is willing to "cooperate" with any leadership chosen by the country's citizens to ensure a smoother transfer of power

We'll be following more developments this morning as we receive them. Stick with us.

Wietske Burema
BBC News

Image source, Rania Kataf

Rania Kataf, 39, a researcher in Syrian cultural heritage currently in Damascus, tells me, "no-one slept in Syria last night... no Syrian abroad slept."

"The whole community was holding their phones, waiting for the final news."

Kataf, who also runs a Facebook group called Humans for Damascus, describes "mixed feelings" that she has had since this offensive by rebel groups began - reporting being "scared" at first and then "worried this would not work out".

“Overwhelmed is not even a word [that can describe this]," she adds this morning.

"We all feel like we have been underwater literally for 13 years and we just took a breath," she says - a reference to 2011, when the first wave of preotests against President Bashar al-Assad started.

She speaks of "fear" that has existed among Syrians, which she describes now as having "melted away".

"We are back to 2011," Kataf continues.

"I am 13 years younger - all of us feel 13 years younger."

The Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali has said the country should hold free elections in an interview with Al-Arabiya that has been cited by the Reuters news agency.

He also mentioned having been in contact with rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani regarding the transitional period.

This morning, Al-Arabiya quoted the prime minister saying his last contact with Bashar al-Assad was "yesterday evening" and that he has no information on Assad's current whereabouts.

As a reminder, in the early hours of the morning we brought you details of an address the prime minister made via social media.

He said that he was ready to help do what is best for the people.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent

With the help of Russia and Iran, Bashar al-Assad crushed the opposition – and survived.

This did not happen this time. His allies, preoccupied with their own affairs, essentially abandoned him. Without their help, his troops were unable – and, in some places, apparently unwilling – to stop the rebels.

First, they seized Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, last week. Then Hama, and days later, the key hub of Homs. In a matter of hours, they entered Damascus.

Many people are happy to see him go. But what happens next? This is an insurgency led by Islamist rebels from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group. They have their roots in al-Qaeda, and a violent past. They have spent recent years trying to rebrand themselves as a nationalist force, and their recent messages have a diplomatic and conciliatory tone.

But many are not convinced, and fear what they might be planning to do.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The fall of Bashar al-Assad was almost unthinkable just a week ago, when rebels started their astonishing campaign from their base in Idlib, in Syria’s north-west.

Bashar al-Assad came to power in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez, who ruled the country for 29 years – and very much like his son, with an iron fist. He inherited a tightly controlled and repressive political structure. At first, there were hopes that he could be different – more open, less brutal. But those were short-lived.

Assad will forever be remembered as the man who brutally repressed peaceful protests against his regime in 2011, leading to a civil war. More than half a million people were killed; six million others became refugees.

Hafizullah Maroof
BBC Afghan Service

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Afghanistan does not share a border with Syria and is geographically distant from it; however, there is significant support and sympathy for the rebel forces in Syria among the Taliban.

There has yet to be a formal statement from the Taliban government on the unfolding developments in Syria, but what is seen on their social media is nothing short of surprising.

The Taliban are followers of extreme Sunni thought and jihadists; hence, as one Talib tells me, "the ideological connections" are one of the reasons the Taliban have immense sympathy for jihadist rebels in Syria.

According to this senior Taliban official, the Taliban are hoping the rebel groups implement "Sharia law in Syria", similar to the Taliban government.

Image source, Reuters

Syria's rebels have broadcast a message from the state-run television station and over Damascus Radio, claiming they have ended Bashar al-Assad's rule and freed political prisoners.

Fighters in the broadcast are calling on "the mujahidin and citizens to preserve the property of the state of free Syria.

Long live Syria, free and proud. To all Syrians, whatever their sect."

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

When the celebratory gunfire subsides, and the prisons and torture chambers of Assad’s brutal, kleptocratic regime are emptied, Syria will find itself at a crossroads.

This could now go either way.

If Abu Mohammed Al-Jawlani, the leader of HTS, the main victorious rebel group, is true to his word, then there is a chance for this country to transition to a more pluralistic, democratic future, supported by the UN and others.

But HTS, and some of its fellow travellers, have a violent past, rife with allegations of human rights abuses. It is a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UN and several governments.

Already al-Qaeda is urging the rebels to now turn on ‘Jews and Crusaders’ (their term for all Christians).

Syria has many minorities, and those who are not Sunni Muslims, as the rebels are, have good reason to fear for their future.

Although there are some encouraging early signs that a transition of power can be managed, there remains a serious risk that Syria could go the way of Libya and descend into a years-long morass of competing armed factions, looting, and mayhem.

Lina Sinjab
BBC News

The Lebanese-Syrian border at Masnaa is packed with people waiting to cross.

People who were in Lebanon have long awaited this moment to return home freely. Some young men have gathered at the crossing, chanting revolutionary and freedom songs while holding the opposition's green flag.

On the Syrian side of the border, we are told that there are no more customs duties, no checkpoints, and no stamps on passports.

Contacts in Damascus have sent us videos of rebels coming from Deraa into the centre of the city.

Sources from former security personnel told us they had been ordered overnight to leave their positions and halt operations at the border crossing. It is now closed - no police or customs officials are allowing people in. Rebels are in charge.

It is not clear at the moment when it will open so that people waiting on the Lebanese side can cross.

Regime forces in Deir al-Zour, the largest city in eastern Syria, have surrendered to rebels, HTS announced on its Telegram channel.

The announcement comes just one minute after the rebel group said its forces had begun entering Deir al-Zour.

Image source, Getty Images

It may seem like the Assad regime has unravelled quickly over just a few days, but this has been brought about by many factors.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army has been decimated by years of war, said Dara Conduit, political scientist at the University of Melbourne who specialises in Syria.

Assad's main allies - Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, have also been preoccupied with conflicts of their own, Conduit tells BBC News.

"Now, Assad is in a particularly weak position," she says.

Still, what has happened overnight is "nothing short of remarkable", Conduit says.

Not too long after rebel forces took Syria's third-largest city, Homs, they were marching into the capital Damascus. Then it was reported that Assad had left by plane to an undisclosed location.