Syrian insurgents have reached the suburbs of Damascus as part of a rapidly advancing offensive that has seen them take control of some of Syria’s largest cities across the country, opposition activists and a rebel commander said on Saturday. .
It is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the region adjacent to the capital after a year-long siege. As rebel fighters advance toward Damascus, protesters appear to be taking to the streets in the suburbs of the Syrian capital challenging President Bashar al-Assad’s control.
Video footage posted on social media shows protesters chanting and cheering as a statue of President Assad’s late father Hafez was toppled in the southern suburb of Jaramana.
Another statue of Hafez, who was Syrian president from 1971 until his death in 2000, was toppled on Friday in the city of Hama.
Recently, Syria’s state news agency claimed that “sleeper cells” were posting videos on social media from public areas of Damascus to suggest they had taken control “with the aim of sowing chaos among citizens.”
Turkey Paper
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that he hopes neighboring Syria will “find peace,” as rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad advance toward the capital, Damascus.
“Our wish is that our neighbor, Syria, finds the peace and tranquility it has dreamed of for 13 years,” said Erdogan, a key player in the region, adding that Syria “is tired of war, blood and tears.”
Türkiye, which has a long border with Syria, has become home to some three million Syrian refugees since the start of the civil war in 2011.
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