Syrian plane with Assad onboard vanishes after taking U-turn Data by Flightradar24/Reuters

An IL-76 aeroplane of the Syrian airline Syrian Air, which was supposedly carrying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, disappeared from radar after less than an hour of flight, according to the flight tracker Flightradar24.

The flight tracker data showed that a Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels.

The aircraft initially flew towards Syria's coastal region, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map, Caliber.Az reports per Reuters.

Two Syrian sources said there was a very high probability that Assad may have been killed in a plane crash as it was a mystery why the plane took a surprise U turn and disappeared off the map according to data from the Flightradar website.

As Syrians expressed joy, Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali called for free elections so Syrians can choose who they want.

But that would require a smooth transition in a country with complex competing interests, from Islamists to groups with links to the United States, Russia and Turkey.

Syrian rebels, for example, said they have started an attack on U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, according to a statement posted on December 8 but dated December on X by the Ministry of Defense of the Syrian Interim Government.

Jalali also said he had been in contact with rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani to discuss managing the transitional period, marking a notable development in efforts to shape Syria's political future.

Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad's rule, dragged in big outside powers, created space for jihadist militants to plot attacks around the world and sent millions of refugees into neighbouring states.

The frontlines of Syria's complex civil war were dormant for years. Then Islamists once affiliated with Al Qaeda suddenly burst into action, posing the biggest threat to Assad.

Israel, which has severely weakened the Iran-backed groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, will likely celebrate the fall of Assad, another of Iran's key regional allies. But the prospects of an Islamist group ruling Syria will likely raise concerns.

"Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer," U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump posted on X.

"Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success."

By Khagan Isayev