Syrian opposition forces have captured the capital city of Damascus and forced the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, to flee. This marks the first time in over half a century that a member of the Assad family will not rule Syria — and represents a seismic shift in the Middle East.

In just over a week, Syrian rebel forces seized much of Syria’s northwest. First, the rebels captured Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, then Hama and Homs. On Sunday, they entered Syria’s capital, Damascus, taking the city without a fight as government forces fled.