Syria Islamist rebel chief hails 'victory', at landmark Damascus mosque

Syria's rebel leader hailed a "historic" victory Sunday from a landmark Damascus mosque after his Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group headed a lightning offensive, snatching the capital from government control in less than two weeks.

His speech came as Syria's president Bashar al-Assad fled -- for Moscow according to Russian news agencies -- triggering celebrations across Syria and beyond at the end of his oppressive rule.

"This victory, my brothers, is historic for the region," HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, said in a speech at the Umayyad Mosque.

He also said the rebel takeover was also a victory "for the entire Islamic nation", in the video statement shared by rebels on Telegram.

"Today, Syria is being purified," he said, adding that "this victory is born from the people who have languished in prison, and the mujahideen (fighters) broke their chains".

He said that, under Assad, Syria had become a place for "Iranian ambitions, where sectarianism was rife," in reference to Assad's allies Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.

As he entered the mosque, crowds could be seen cheering him on and chanting "Allahu akbar (God is greatest)", videos circulating online showed.

HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, with which it broke ties in 2016.

Proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Western governments, HTS has sought to soften its image in recent years.

The government fell more than 13 years after Assad's crackdown on anti-government protests ignited Syria's brutal civil war, which has drawn in foreign powers, jihadists and claimed more than half a million lives.