The Syrian flag of President Bashar al-Assad once again flew over the town of Douma in Eastern Ghouta, which had been in rebel hands for more than half a decade.

Russia, which backs the regime, said Syrian government forces were now in full control of the onetime opposition enclave and that Russian troops were patrolling the area.

The reported fall of Douma, the last town under opposition control in the Damascus suburb, marked the end of the rebellion against Assad there and one of the biggest defeats to date.

"Today a significant event in the history of Syria took place. The raising of a regime flag over a building in the town of Douma signified control over this town and consequently over Eastern Ghouta as a whole," Major General Yury Yevtushenko, head of the Russian military's centre for reconciliation in Syria.