Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's Plane Shot Down, Say Unconfirmed Reports

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's plane has been shot down, say unconfirmed reports and claims online. The Syrian president left capital Damascus after a lightning offensive by the rebels who entered the capital.

War in Syria, raging on for more than a decade now, had taken a form of a stalemate before recent rapid offensive by Syrian rebels. After claiming major cities like Aleppo and Homs, the rebels marched to Damascus, Assad's seat of power.

The New York Times reported earlier that Syrian government forces had begun withdrawing from suburbs of the capital. The forces had reportedly retreated from mezzah military airport as well.

Russia Calls For Dialogue Between Warring Sides

Russia, which supports Assad, called for a dialogue between the warring parties.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Iranian and Turkish counterparts on Saturday in Qatar. He said that the three countries called for "dialogue between the government and the legal opposition."

AlJazeera meanwhile, quoted rebels who said they had captured Damascus.

"The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled," the armed opposition said in a statement. "We declare Damascus free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad," they said.

Lavrov however, has maintained that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist organization that's spearheading the attack against the government, should not be included in the dialogue.

"It is unacceptable to allow a terrorist group to take control of territories," TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.