Bashar al-Assad's plane vanishes as he reportedly flees Syria amid rebel takeover of Damascus

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's plane has disappeared from flight tracking after he and his family reportedly fled the country. This follows a significant advance by rebel forces, who have taken control of Damascus. The Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane, identified as Syrian Air Flight 9218, vanished shortly after takeoff from Damascus early this morning. Its last known direction was toward the Iraqi border before it turned northeast. Assad's current location remains unknown, raising speculation about his fate following the rebels' takeover of the capital.