(Dan Tri) - Rebels claim to be about 50km from the capital of Syria and are trying to surround the city.
Military vehicles and weapons of rebels in Homs (Photo: Reuters).
Syrian rebels said they had accelerated their advance on December 7, while government forces held out to defend the key central city of Homs.
Since rebels captured Aleppo a week ago, the Syrian army's defenses have been severely challenged and have lost several key areas.
In addition to capturing Aleppo in the north, Hama in the center and Deir al-Zor in the east, the HTS rebel group claimed to have captured southern Quneitra, Deraa and Suweida and is about 50km from the capital Damascus.
Government defenses focused on Homs. Meanwhile, Syrian and Russian air forces pounded HTS positions. Syrian state media said 2,500 rebels had been killed in the past week.
Hassan Abdulghani, spokesman for the rebel coalition led by the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) group, said the "final phase" of the "siege" campaign on Damascus had begun.
The Syrian army denied that its forces had withdrawn from the Damascus area, calling the information circulating on the internet "a false media campaign... by armed terrorist organizations... with the aim of spreading panic and fear among civilians in the Damascus countryside".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was doing everything possible to stop “terrorists” operating in Syria, and called for dialogue between the Damascus government and the legitimate opposition, but did not specify which groups would be involved.
Russia has naval and air bases in Syria, which are important not only for supporting Syria but also for maintaining Moscow's influence in the Mediterranean and Africa.
Iran-backed Iraqi militias are on high alert, with thousands of heavily armed fighters ready to deploy to Syria, many of them massed near the border. An Iraqi government spokesman said the country was not seeking military intervention in Syria.
A senior Iranian official, Ali Larijani, met with Syrian representatives in Damascus on December 6, Iranian media reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that "no concrete decision has been made regarding the future prospects of Syria".
Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted a well-informed source as saying that Iran has begun evacuating some diplomats and military officials from Syria.
Among those evacuated to neighboring Iraq and Lebanon were senior commanders of the Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, the newspaper said.
Guard personnel, some Iranian diplomats, their families and Iranian civilians are also being evacuated, the sources said. “Some of the evacuation is being carried out by plane to Tehran, while others are leaving by land to Lebanon, Iraq and the Syrian port of Latakia,” the officials said.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/phien-quan-noi-loan-cach-thu-do-syria-50km-tim-cach-bao-vay-damascus-20241207214427989.htm
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