In a significant update, the Syrian Government has reportedly collapsed and President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country. According to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s Commander, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, all state institutions will remain under the supervision of al-Assad’s Prime Minister till they are handed over officially.
Syrian rebels claimed to have entered the strategic city of Homs. Hours after they declared full control of Homs and continued to march to Damascus, intense shooting sounds were reportedly heard. News Agency Reuters stated that the origin of the shooting remains unclear, two of the residents who live close to the capital area said.
“After several qualitative night operations, the remnants of the criminal regime are escaping the city of Homs, and the city’s neighbourhoods are now being penetrated and combed in preparation for declaring it completely liberated, God willing,” Northern rebels spokesperson said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime’s military has sent a message to residents assuring them that it will continue to defend the country, as rebels say they are circling in on the capital Damascus.
Also, the Syrian military assured residents that it remains committed to defending the country. This statement came as rebels claimed to be closing in on the capital.
Earlier, Syrian government forces withdrew from a number of Damascus suburbs where opposition protests broke out on Saturday, according to war monitoring organisations, the New York Times reported. Government forces have withdrawn from several suburbs of Damascus, including Moadamia al-Sham and Daraya, as well as the neighbouring Mezzeh military airport, according to the British-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump asserted that this is not America’s fight and that the US should have “nothing to do with it. “The rebels are battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces from two directions; the north and the south, in an attempt to close in on Damascus. Daraa is where the Syrian uprising started in 2011, CNN reported.
“There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look stupid. In any event, Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!,” Trump said.
Notably, the conflict in Syria began in 2011, after President Bashar al-Assad moved to stamp out peaceful pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring. Over 3,00,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the United Nations, with millions more displaced across the region.
