Syria civil war: Moscow gives asylum to Assad, US Strikes IS targets
Syrian civil war: The Syrian opposition forces now control the capital city of Damascus, while President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly fled the country. According to Russian media, the ousted leader has been granted asylum in Moscow. The Syrian rebel forces said that Damascus was now free of the ‘tyrant Bashar al-Assad’, announcing a “new era for Syria”....Read More
Syrian opposition forces also reportedly freed all the detainees from Damascus' notorious Sednaya jail, announcing an "end of the era of tyranny in the prison of Sednaya".
Meanwhile, Syrians toppled the statue of Assad's father, Hafez, in Damascus and marked the end of the Assad family's 50-year-long rule in the country.
Early on Sunday, the rebels announced that they had gained full control over the key city of Homs, striking a major attack on President al-Assad's 24-year-long rule. Celebrating their victory, rebels fired in the air and several others took down the Syrian president's posters.
Notably, the Syrian rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), managed to capture four key cities, Daraa, Quneitra, Suwayda and Homs, in just one day.
Syria civil war | Key points
- The Syrian rebels launched an attack on the country's government headed by President Bashar al-Assad on November 27.
- It soon began breaching the cities, with the Syrian military confirming the rebels' presence in the Aleppo city.
- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a breakaway faction of al-Qaeda, was the one who staged the surprise offensive on Aleppo.
- Reports of President Assad seeking Russia's help in the civil war surfaced. This is because Russian President Vladimir Putin's interference in the Syrian civil war almost a decade ago worked in Assad's favour.
- Iran also reportedly was trying to help back Syria by sending fighters to the war-torn country.
- Amid escalating tensions, India advised its citizens to avoid all travel to Syria until further notice, urging those present in the country to leave at the earliest.
- US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday said that America should refrain from military action in Syria, as an insurgent offensive reached the suburbs of the capital city of Damascus. "This is not our fight," he said.
- Syrian rebels captured four cities in a day, including the key city of Homs and President Assad's birthplace, Daraa. The rebels have said that they are focusing on Damascus, the capital of Syria.
- Syrian rebels ‘enter’ and capture the capital city of Damascus, with reports saying that President Assad has fled the country to Moscow, Russian state agency TASS reported on Sunday.
- Syrian PM says he is ready to cooperate with any leadership the people choose and is ready to hand over the government to the opposition forces in a smooth transfer. Till the official handover is completed, the Syrian rebel chief has ordered his forces to not breach the public institutions in Damascus.
Syrian civil war LIVE: Rebels have their ‘eyes’ on Capital Damascus
After capturing the key cities in Syria, the rebels are now focused on Capital Damascus.
The rebel forces have reached the suburbs of the capital city, leaving President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year-long rule to hang by a thread.
Syrian rebel group's spokesperson Lt Col Hassan Abdul Ghani early on Sunday (local time) issued a statement and said, "We were able to liberate four Syrian cities with 24 hours: Daraa, Quneitra, Suwayda and Homs, and our operations are continuing to liberate the entire Damascus countryside and our eyes are on the capital, Damascus," CNN cited in its report.
