- “Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital,” Hassan Abdel Ghani, a rebel commander with the Islamic-led coalition, said, the AFP news agency reported.
- The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group that led the attack, told fighters to prepare to take the seat of Assad’s government, more than a week into the renewed conflict that has long been dormant. Is aggressive than.
- “Damascus is waiting for you,” HTS’s Ahmed al-Shara said in a statement on Telegram, using his real name rather than his alias Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
- The Syrian Defense Ministry said army forces were “present in all areas of the Damascus countryside”. “There is no truth in the news that our armed forces have withdrawn from positions near Damascus,” it said. Syria’s president denied reports that Assad had left Damascus, saying he was “carrying out his work and national and constitutional duties from the capital”.
- HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. Declared a terrorist organization by Western governments, it has tried to tone down its image in recent years. As Islamic rebels have captured more territory, they have sought to reassure minority groups living in areas now under their control. Abdel Ghani said, “We want all sects to be reassured… because the era of sectarianism and oppression is gone forever.”
- At least 826 people have been killed since the offensive began last week, mostly fighters but also 111 civilians. The United Nations said 3.7 lakh people have been displaced due to the violence.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Syria must not be allowed to fall into the hands of “terrorist” rebels fighting the forces of Moscow ally President Bashar al-Assad. “It is unacceptable to allow a terrorist group to take control of land in violation of agreements, starting with UN Security Council resolution 2254, which firmly affirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” Mr Lavrov told a conference. Repeated from.” Event in Qatar referring to the 2015 UN resolution calling for a political solution in Syria.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a “political resolution to the conflict” on Friday in a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, his spokesman said.
- However, US President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday that the US “should not get involved” in the situation in Syria. Trump said on his Truth social platform, “Syria is a mess, but not our friend and America should have nothing to do with it. This is not our fight. Let it play out. Don’t get involved in it.”
- There has been no public indication that the Biden administration is considering such intervention. Trump has long taken an isolationist approach, and during this year’s presidential campaign he frequently said he could end the Ukraine and Gaza wars “quickly.”
