NBC News journalist Richard Engel’s news report from Syria was drowned out during filming as rebels unleashed a blaze of “celebratory gunfire” after following the stunning defeat of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the wake of a large-scale offensive.
In the historic turn of events, Assad was overthrown as armed opposition forces took control of the city over the weekend and 13 years of civil war culminated in a seismic shift of power.
Filming on the ground on Monday, Engel covered the scene as rebel groups celebrated their victory, interviewing residents from the country’s capital Damascus to ask how they were feeling.
“Very happy,” one replied.
In the main square, the journalist went on to show viewers a tank abandoned by Assad’s military as the rebels advanced. Children now sat on the vehicle.
Wow. So this is a symbol of everything that has transpired here over the last, really, just two weeks… The rebel forces moved into Damascus, and the government and its armed forces simply melted away. We’ve seen uniforms on the ground. This tank was just abandoned. Now the tank is in the hands of the people it was used to repress. There is one word I’m hearing over and over again, it is Arabic for freedom.
As if on cue a rebel fighter on a vehicle behind opened fire into the sky, feeding a belt through a heavy machine gun – cutting short Engel’s commentary.
After a
Not missing a beat, Engel laughed: “And a lot of celebratory gun fire.”
Watch above on MSNBC.