Syrian Rebels Encircle Damascus as Assad Denies Fleeing – Latest Updates
Syrian opposition forces have begun to encircle the capital city of Damascus after a lightning offensive brought rebel factions to Bashar al-Assad’s doorstep and led the president’s office to deny he had already fled the country. The advance came just a week after Islamist insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) retook Aleppo in northern Syria, inspiring rebel factions all across the country to rise up against the Syrian army. Overnight, opposition factions in the southern provinces of Daraa and Sweida routed government forces and took control over wide swathes of the district. By the afternoon, opposition fighters had entered Daraya, about 5 miles from the center of the capital. East of Damascus, members of the Free Syrian Army took control over the ancient city of Palmyra.
As rebels advanced from the south and east towards the capital city, forces led by HTS began fighting the Syrian army in the central Syrian city of Homs. Homs is a strategic asset for the Syrian government, linking it to Tartous and Latakia – provinces where Assad has traditionally enjoyed strong support. Syrian state media reported that government forces were concentrating on stopping HTS’s advance in Homs, carrying out heavy airstrikes on rebel forces there and sending reinforcements to the central Syrian city. If Homs was to fall to rebels, the government would be besieged in Damascus. Opposition forces would be advancing from the north, south, and east of the country.
International Responses and Geopolitical Ramifications
Russia and Iran, which provided the bulk of military and financial support to the Assad government during Syria’s 2011 revolution-turned-civil war, have seemed unwilling to lend support to its ally since the beginning of the rebel operation last week. Without significant Russian air support and Hezbollah reinforcements, Syrian army forces have seemingly melted away in the face of the advancing rebels. Rebel leaders have called upon government forces to defect instead of fighting, aiming to minimize bloodshed and violence.
Impact on Syrian Citizens and Exiles
As rebels swept through towns and cities, they opened the doors to government prisons, notorious for torture. Crowds met dazed-looking detainees, some of whom had been imprisoned for decades, as they stepped outside for the first time in years. In Damascus, residents described scenes of panic as uncertainty reigned over the fate of the Syrian government as rebels beat on the capital’s door. Millions of Syrians who fled the violence of the civil war and the government’s bloody crackdown on protests in 2011 watched the rebel advance anxiously, waiting to see if they might be able to safely return to the country after more than 13 years in exile.
