Rebel factions announced on Saturday December 7 that they had “ started to circle » the Syrian capital, after taking control of the southern province of Daraa. Several insurgent movements have been carrying out a lightning offensive against Bashar al-Assad’s army since the end of November.
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What to remember:
■ On November 27, a coalition of rebels, led by the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched an offensive from its stronghold in Idlib, in the northwest, seizing dozens of localities and strategic cities of Aleppo, in the north, and Hama, in the center. They also announced this Saturday that they would be at the gates of Homs, the third city in the country.
■ In the south of the country, another coalition of rebels also took control of the cities of Deraa and Soueida on Friday. According to their assertions and those of the OSDH, they control almost the entire province, bordering Damascus.
■ In this context, Turkish leaders are due to meet their Iranian and Russian counterparts in Doha, Qatar. The three countries are stakeholders in the Astana process, established in 2017 with the aim of ending the civil war in Syria. They called for a “ dialogue » between opposition and government.
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1:55 p.m.: Hundreds of Syrian soldiers fleeing the fighting arrive in Iraq
Iraqi authorities have authorized the entry into their territory of hundreds of soldiers from the Syrian army who fled fighting with the rebels, two security officials told AFP on Saturday, specifying that among these soldiers there were also wounded. Syrian soldiers having fled the fighting » entered via the Al-Qaïm border post, a senior security official told AFP, specifying that “ injured people were hospitalized for treatment » in the hospital of this locality on the border in western Iraq. Their number amounts to 2,000 soldiers, indicated a second security source, “ officers and soldiers » entered Iraq « with the agreement » from the Iraqi authorities.
1:40 p.m.: What we know about the situation on the ground in Syria
While insurgents announced that they had taken control of the towns of Daraa and Soueida in the southeast of the country, further north, the rebels continue to advance towards Homs. Since the end of November, several rebel factions have been carrying out a lightning offensive against Bashar al-Assad’s army.
To read Syria: at the gates of Homs, the rebels are getting a little closer to Damascus
1:20 p.m.: The leader of the rebel coalition in Syria to his fighters: “ Damascus awaits you »
The leader of the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which leads a coalition of rebels in Syria aimed at bringing down Bashar al-Assad’s government, has told fighters to prepare to take the capital Damascus. “ Damascus awaits you said Ahmed al-Chareh in a statement to rebel fighters on Telegram, using his real name instead of his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.
1:00 p.m.: Syrian government and opposition “ must » dialogue, says Iran
Iran, unwavering support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, estimated that a “ political dialogue » was necessary between the Syrian government and opposition, after an unprecedented rebel offensive. “ A political dialogue between the Syrian government and legitimate opposition groups must begin », declared to the press the head of Iranian diplomacy Abbas Araghchi, after talks in Qatar with his Russian and Turkish counterparts. These three countries have been partners since 2017 in the so-called Astana process initiated to silence the guns in Syria, the scene of a civil war since 2011, without being aligned on the same side of the battlefield.
12:50 p.m.: The rebels say they have “ began to surround the capital Damascus »
The rebels said on Saturday that they had “ started to circle » the capital Damascus, after seizing nearby towns, the Syrian army denying having fled its positions near the capital. “ Our forces have entered the final phase of the encirclement of the capital Damascus “, declared a senior commander of the rebel coalition, Hassan Abdel Ghani. The Ministry of Defense for its part affirmed that “ reports that our armed forces, present in all areas of the Damascus countryside, have withdrawn, are unfounded “.