Syrians gathered in cities around the world to celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government with chants and prayers after opposition fighters entered the capital Damascus following a stunning advance.

The Syrian opposition said that it had defeated al-Assad’s regime in the early hours of Sunday, forcing the ousted president to flee the country. Russian media reports have said that he has been given asylum by his main backer, Russia.

It was the first time opposition forces had reached Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured areas on the outskirts of the capital following a years-long siege.

Syria’s war erupted in 2011 as an uprising against al-Assad’s rule and quickly morphed into a full-blown conflict that dragged in foreign powers. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed while millions were forced from their homes in one of the world’s largest refugee crises.