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BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government fell early Sunday, bringing a surprise end to the Assad family's 50-year rule, after a sudden rebel offensive advanced across government-held territory and entered the capital inside 10 days.

Syrian state television broadcast a video statement from a bunch of men saying President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown and that each one prison inmates had been released.

The man who read the statement said the opposition group Operations Room to Conquer Damascus called on all opposition fighters and residents to preserve the state institutions of the “free Syrian state.”

The statement got here hours after the pinnacle of a Syrian opposition war monitor said Assad had left the country for an unknown location, fleeing insurgents who said that they had entered Damascus after the remarkably rapid advance through the country.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the federal government was able to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its duties to an interim government.

“I am in my house and I have not left it, and that is because I belong to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office within the morning to proceed his work and urged Syrian residents to not deface public property.

He didn’t address reports that Assad had fled.

Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the Associated Press that Assad took a flight from Damascus on Sunday.

Iranian state television, Assad's primary supporter throughout the war years in Syria, reported that Assad had left the capital. Qatari news channel Al Jazeera was quoted as providing the knowledge without elaborating.

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government.

As day broke over Damascus, crowds gathered to hope in town's mosques and have a good time in its squares, chanting “God is great.” People also chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked their horns. In some areas, celebratory shots were fired.

Soldiers and police abandoned their posts and fled, and looters broke into the Defense Ministry headquarters.

“My feelings are indescribable,” said Omar Daher, a 29-year-old lawyer. “After the fear in which he (Assad) and his father made us live for many years, and the panic and state of terror in which I lived, I cannot believe it.”

Daher said his father was killed by security forces and his brother was in custody, but his fate was unknown. Assad “is a criminal, a tyrant and a dog,” he said.

“Damned be his soul and the soul of the entire Assad family,” said Ghazal al-Sharif, one other reveler in central Damascus. “It is the prayer of every oppressed person and God has answered it today. We thought we would never see it, but thank God we did.”

The police headquarters within the capital gave the impression to be deserted, the door was open and nobody was outside. An Associated Press journalist captured footage of an abandoned army checkpoint where uniforms lay on the bottom beneath a poster with Assad's face. Footage broadcast by opposition-affiliated media showed a tank in one in all the capital's central squares.

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

Pro-government radio station Sham FM reported that Damascus airport had been evacuated and all flights had been suspended.

The insurgents also announced that that they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and “freed” their prisoners there.

The night before, opposition forces had captured the central city of Homs, Syria's third-largest city, after government troops abandoned it. The city lies at a key junction between the capital Damascus and the Syrian coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus – the bottom of the Syrian leader and the positioning of a strategic Russian naval base.

The rebels had already captured the cities of Aleppo and Hama in addition to large parts of the south in a lightning offensive that began on November twenty seventh. Analysts said rebel control of Homs can be a game-changer.

The rebels' entry into Damascus got here after the Syrian army withdrew from much of the southern a part of the country and other areas, including several provincial capitals, remained under the control of opposition fighters.

The advances last week were by far the most important in years by opposition factions led by a bunch that has its origins in al-Qaeda and is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations. In their push to topple Assad's government, the insurgents led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) faced little resistance from the Syrian army.

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen called on Saturday for urgent talks in Geneva to make sure an “orderly political transition”. Speaking to reporters on the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is Assad's primary international backer, said he felt “compassion for the Syrian people.”

In Damascus, people rushed to fill up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon and tried to go away the country. Lebanese border officials closed the primary Masnaa border crossing late Saturday, leaving many individuals waiting.

Many shops within the capital were closed, a resident told The Associated Press, and people still open were running out of staples reminiscent of sugar. Some were selling items for 3 times the traditional price.

The United Nations said it was moving non-critical personnel in a foreign country as a precaution.

Syrian state media denied social media rumors that Assad had left the country, saying he was carrying out his duties in Damascus.

He received little to no help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine. Lebanon's Hezbollah, which once sent 1000’s of fighters to support Assad's forces, has been weakened by years of conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region weakened by regular Israeli airstrikes.

US President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media on Saturday that the United States should avoid military involvement in Syria. Separately, President Joe Biden's national security adviser said the Biden administration had no intention of intervening there.

Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on implementing a 2015 U.N. resolution calling for a Syrian-led political process can be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of an interim governing body, followed by the drafting of a brand new structure and at last elections supervised by the United Nations.

Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, met with Pederson on the sidelines of the Doha summit to debate the situation in Syria.

In a press release, participants reiterated their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to an end to military activities and protect civilians.”

An insurgent commander, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the messaging app Telegram that opposition forces had begun the “final phase” of their offensive by encircling Damascus.

HTS controls much of northwest Syria and established a “salvation government” in 2017 to administer day-to-day affairs within the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to reshape the group's image by cutting ties with al-Qaeda, abandoning hardline officials and embracing pluralism and non secular tolerance.

The shock offensive began on November twenty seventh. Gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, and the central city of Hama, the country's fourth largest city.

Since the conflict began in March 2011, the Syrian government has described armed opposition members as terrorists.

Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to reap the benefits of the lull in fighting lately to deal with the country's underlying problems. “Assad has not taken advantage of this opportunity to engage with his people and restore relations with them,” he said.

SAN FRANCISCO — Sixty-five minutes before game time, Jonathan Kuminga stood at his locker after pregame sprints across the ground of the Warriors' practice room at Chase Center. While he was warming up, ESPN reported that the Warriors would bring him off the bench although Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De'Anthony Melton were unavailable.

Kuminga said he had not yet personally spoken to Steve Kerr in regards to the decision.

“It’s his decision,” Kuminga said. “I am not the coach. When Steve has made his decision, he has made his decision. I’m not the coach.”

Kuminga said he's “not upset” about coming off the bench, but that there may be growing skepticism in Kuminga's camp about Kerr's commitment to using the wing in Golden State's offense.

Just three games into the season, after Kuminga's camp and the Warriors failed to succeed in an agreement on a rookie extension, tensions are simmering between the 2 teams.

Negotiations between the Warriors and Kuminga never got off to a serious start before the rookie extension deadline. The Warriors valued the in-season flexibility that may have been lost in the event that they had prolonged Kuminga. Kuminga's camp was not adamant in regards to the maximum contract, but never received offers that they considered fair market value, in accordance with sources.

On Tuesday night, Kerr declined to announce a starting lineup in his pregame press conference. When asked directly whether Kuminga would start, he replied: “Possibly.”

Kerr then didn't need to answer questions on his starting lineup of Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis before the sport. It appears the Warriors prioritized Moody's 3-point shooting over Kuminga's downhill threat and maintained the continuity of Green and Jackson-Davis.

The decision to take Kuminga off the bench against New Orleans is a surprising decision by the coaching staff. With Curry, Wiggins and Melton each out as a result of injury, the sport changed into one by which the Warriors had to make use of Kuminga heavily on offense. He averaged 16.1 points per game last season and is arguably Golden State's most talented scorer.

However, Kuminga struggled to start out the season. In the primary three games of the season, he averaged 8.0 points and three.3 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game. The big lineup with Kuminga as a small forward alongside two non-shooting bigs hasn't complemented his game yet, and the 12-man rotation Kerr uses has reduced his minutes.

“I never worry about such a small sample size,” Kerr said of Kuminga. “JK had a really good preseason, he will do it. We're going to need his strength, his athleticism. Tonight could be a big night for him in that regard, depending on how the game turns out. Of course, we played against twelve players in every game, which means it will be a little more difficult for each player to find their rhythm because they don't play as much. I'm not worried about JK at all. He’ll come over.”

Kuminga professionally answered questions at his locker before the sport, reiterating that he was not the coach and the choice was out of his hands. When asked whether he would like to start out or come off the bench, he said he was just here to play; He began 46 of 74 games last yr.

He also described the beginning to his season as “decent”.

“You’re not just going to come out of the gate and be perfect every time,” Kuminga said. “You try to figure things out, meet new people, the way we play. Different attack, different sets. So I just have to figure it out.”

The relationship between Kerr and Kuminga is a feast for the eyes. Last season, after Kerr benched Kuminga for the ultimate 18 minutes of a loss to Denver, The Athletic reported that Kuminga had “lost trust” in his coach.

Now, lower than per week into the season, the 2 have rather a lot to sort out.

“I’m used to it – this is my fourth year,” Kuminga said. “This is not the first time something like this has happened. As I said, I'm not the coach, that's his decision. We will follow his decision.”

Bruins

Brad Marchand has a whopping 150 playoff games under his belt.

With his one-timer faltering Saturday night, Boston's captain lit the lamp 56 times through the Stanley Cup playoffs. No Bruins player has scored more goals within the postseason.

Experience is a prized commodity through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Teams place a high value on seasoned veterans who’ve already endured the physical and mental rigor required to secure hockey's most coveted prize.

But for all his accolades at hockey's highest stage, Marchand doesn't all the time imagine experience is the deciding factor relating to delivering within the playoffs.

Because when the 35-year-old Marchand won the Stanley Cup in 2011, he was a 23-year-old rookie – unencumbered by the pressure that understandably builds over time as NHL players push for a coveted title.

Thirteen years later, Boston's elder statesmen see one other Bruins rookie following the same script during playoff motion in 23-year-old defenseman Mason Lohrei.

“I remember my first run, it's pure adrenaline,” Marchand said after Boston's 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 4. “You go out there and you're so excited that you finally have the opportunity to do it.” You've worked and played this game your whole life, and the hours and time you've put in gives you a likelihood to play for the Stanley Cup.

“And that’s right in front of you. And it's just pure adrenaline. … Mason came in and played incredible for us. He made a lot of really good plays and jumped up in the game. He fights hard and plays strong defensively. So it’s great to see.”

Forced into the playoffs after an injury to Andrew Peeke and a scratch to Matt Grzelcyk, Lohrei played a key role in Boston's win on Saturday – he was a key helper on James van Riemsdyk's opening tally and logged 17:36 of ice time.

“How assertive he was,” Jim Montgomery said Sunday about what stood out about Lohrei's play in Game 4. “I mean, he was so good last night. With the puck, without the puck, he was all over the ice making plays and obviously he was a big part of why we won.”

It doesn't take long to know why Lohrei is taken into account Boston's top player in its potential pipeline.

His shot-first approach and playmaking attitude as a defenseman is probably not a whole outlier in today's skill-critical NHL. But few D-men can hit the bottom running and produce Grade-A looks while also boasting a sturdy 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame that ought to only increase over time.

After a quieter performance in Game 3 at Scotiabank Arena, Lohrei made a direct impact in the primary period of Saturday's win.

A heads-up play from the rookie arrange Boston's first goal as Lohrei made a save from the offensive blue line as Toronto stickman Ryan Reaves attempted to direct a puck over the boards.

Lohrei's pin caused Reaves to hurl the puck under duress, leading to a turnover on Class A ice, which van Riemsdyk promptly slipped past Ilya Samsonov and put Boston on the board at 15:09 of the primary period.

James van Riemsdyk scores his first goal since February. 17.

Brutal rally by the Leafs and JVR beats Samsonov by five.

1-0 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/XNZ0BxoLvT

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 28, 2024

It was an exhilarating move from Boston's young defender, whose confidence had been demonstrated earlier within the period when he attempted to beat Samsonov with a deft between-the-legs effort at 4-on-4.

Lohrei's creativity with the puck on his stick is welcome within the postseason. But to remain within the lineup, he must proceed to make the correct plays, avoid turnovers against forechecking pressure and limit the number of excellent probabilities in front of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.

But after two games, the rookie appears to be as much as the duty.

“This time of year you have to belong and want to make a difference,” Marchand said. “And that’s what we seem to have in the group right now. …Him and Johnny (Beecher) and Parker (Wotherspoon) were unbelievable for us. And I think that’s just because they go out and play and have that belief in themselves.”

Forbort comes closer

Derek Forbort was not cleared for Games 3 and 4 in Toronto this week, however the 32-year-old defenseman took part within the warmups that led to Saturday's win.

Montgomery indicated the team will evaluate Forbort's availability for Game 5 after practice on Monday. But his participation in warmups marked one other box for Forbort in his recovery from surgery in March.

“It's about getting him into the routine in case he becomes an option,” Montgomery said of Forbort's performance during warmups. “Get used to the routine of how you prepare for the game and all those things. Engaging with your teammates, listening to the locker room – all of that is important to your preparation if you become an option down the road.”

Any clues about Boston's starting goaltender in Game 5?

“Find out Tuesday night,” Montgomery remarked.

Matthews still suffers from an illness

Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t provide a positive update on Toronto's star forward Auston Matthews on Sunday. Matthews didn’t play within the third period of Game 4 on Saturday because doctors ruled him out of the sport because of illness.

“We thought the last few days would help us” Keefe told reporters in Toronto on Sunday. “But for some reason it’s not one of those everyday illnesses that come and go. This one has lingered and the effects have lingered and are getting worse when he is on the ice and asserting himself.”

Matthews was one of the best player on the ice for Toronto through the Leafs' Game 2 win at TD Garden – he scored a goal and two major assists over 23:24 of ice time while recording eight shots on goal, a team-high six goals and… 16 of 23 Faceoffs won.

But Matthews was unable to hold this game through in Games 3 and 4 as he scored zero points with a complete of 4 shots on goal in each losses.