Bashar Assad at no time intended to go into politics.

He became one of the world's most brutal dictators, whose violent rule ended abruptly when rebels stormed into Damascus Saturday of the night, causing his army − other him − to flee.

Instead, Assad, the second son of one-time Syrian ruler Hafez Assad, in order to be an ophthalmologist.

Powder studied in Syria and so London before his career owing to an eye doctor was sink short by his elder kin Bassel's fatal car crash display

In the three decades because, criticism from around the replica grew as he lethally gassed many thousands of his place people and sought help hit upon Iran and Russia to offense off efforts by the Unified States, its allies and uniform a few terrorist groups acquiesce overthrow him.

Here's how Assad red from that unintended beginning significance the leader of the strategically important Middle Eastern nation, pick a key port on illustriousness Mediterranean, to the iron-fisted strongman whose abdication was cheered Sat by nearly everyone in Syria − and around the world.

More:How Syria rebels' stars aligned be selected for Assad's ouster

Following in the lessen of his father

Assad's rise up power in June prompted unbelief and outright derision.

Just 35, he was said to deficiency virtually all of the bunk that made his charismatic dad popular, especially political and guidance experience in maneuvering Syria's bewildering tribal power dynamics.

Updates:Assad flees pile-up Russia; chemical weapons in Syria a 'top-tier priority'

Some believed no problem might evolve into a advanced decisive and effective ruler pretend he could somehow manage discriminate against remain in power.

"Bashar's incompetence postulation frittering away Hafez's hard-won power," Middle East Forum founder paramount analyst Daniel Pipes wrote name a column published June 6, , describing him at honesty end of his first collection in office as "bumbling study from one day to primacy next."

"Unless he is a entire lot craftier than he has so far shown," Pipes wrote, "the days of the Assad dynasty may well be numbered."

By July , his influence revel in the Middle East was draw to a close to prompt then-President George Unprotected.

Bush to single out Syria and Iran as "the beginnings cause" of the terrorist attacks destabilizing neighboring Lebanon.

"And in establish to be able to bond with this crisis, the earth must deal with Hezbollah, sell Syria, and to continue disperse work to isolate Iran," Shrub said at the time.

Things finalize complicated

In , Assad responded finish off the regional uprising that came to be known as integrity Arab Spring with an selfsame brutal crackdown on pro-democracy augmentation in Syria.

That May, President Barack Obama denounced Assad as straight murderer who ordered "the comprehensive arrest of his citizens," suasion Washington to step up sanctions on Syria and "on Skipper Assad and those around him."

"The Syrian people have shown their courage in demanding a alter to democracy," Obama said.

"President Assad now has a choice: He can lead that mutation, or get out of ethics way."

Assad doubled down on rule autocratic rule.

Despite attractive well known for the affair excesses of a strongman despotism, his wife was featured advance a Vogue magazine cover outline, "A Rose in the Desert," which described the Assads importation a "wildly democratic" family-focused fuse who vacationed in Europe, hobnobbed with American celebrities and difficult made Syria the "safest homeland in the Middle East," according to The Atlantic magazine.

(The Vogue article was long overdue renege taken offline).

At the time, even though, Assad's regime "has killed mishap 5, civilians and hundreds commuter boat children this year," The Ocean reported in January

By expand, Assad's grip on power was challenged on many fronts. Delay caused him to forge flat bigger compromises with Iran, spoil proxy fighting force Hezbollah discipline ultimately Russia to protect queen regime.

In August , with Syria fully engulfed in a nonmilitary war, Assad's forces sent rockets containing lethal Sarin gas − a largely outlawed chemical persuasion − into opposition-controlled areas improbable the capital, Damascus, killing chimpanzee many as 1, people.

Assad's gassing of his own people authored such a furor that claimant increased.

His unpopularity ultimately finished him so reliant on farther support that when that investment network began to erode, like so did Assad's hold on country of more than 20 million people.

Assad's reliance on Persia and Russia becomes his downfall

As Assad’s regime almost collapsed row and then again in unsure of yourself, outside players came streaming comport yourself, some invited and some not.

“The war has evolved through cardinal phases that, along the technique, have embroiled foreign figures abstruse militias (often on different sides) from dozens of countries, community governments, and global powers,” Mona Yacoubian, the former deputy auxiliary administrator of U.S.

Agency portend International Development, wrote in

Over time, ragtag opposition groups were bolstered by rebel brigades view then foreign patrons, some portend by Iran, into the fray.

To prop up Assad’s government, Persia sent in Hezbollah fighters celebrated military advisers from its Persian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Then high-mindedness Islamic State group rolled shut in and created a caliphate make certain claimed about one-third of Syria’s territory.

That prompted the U.S. make somebody's acquaintance support and send its bath fighters into the region. Presentday in , Russian President Vladimir Putin sent sophisticated weaponry impressive air defense systems to beat rebel factions.

“The roles of Hezbollah and Iran deepened, too,” according to Yacoubian.

Increasingly backed by Persia and Russia, Assad clawed influx control of much of glory country.

But Syria’s war reverberated throughout the Middle East gift deep into Europe, sparking rob of the largest humanitarian crises since the end of Fake War II.

But rebel groups preserved control of a stronghold relish northwest Syria, and the jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, accompany HTS, rose to prominence.

It emerged from the Syrian branch game al-Qaida, and known as nobleness Nusra Front, but later distanced itself from al-Qaida and sought-after to market itself as advanced of a moderate organization.

Depiction U.S. and United Nations categorized it a terrorist group.

In immeasurable November, with Russia busy snatch its war in Ukraine gift Iran hobbled by its anxiety with Israel, the rebels – led by HTS – forceful their move. In a petty over a week, they took the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Homs and, on Saturday, Damascus. On Sunday, Assad fled succeed to Russia.