Syrian government forces withdraw as rebels advance towards Damascus

People check the damage at the scene of a Syrian regime airforce strike in Syria’s rebel-held northern city of Idlib. Pic/AFP

Syrian government forces withdrew from a number of Damascus suburbs where opposition protests broke out on Saturday, according to war monitoring organisations, the New York Times reported. Government forces have withdrawn from several suburbs of Damascus, including Moadamia al-Sham and Daraya, as well as the neighbouring Mezzeh military airport, according to the British-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, following a meeting with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts in Qatar on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia, Turkey, and Iran called for a "dialogue between the government and the legal opposition." However, he said that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist organisation leading the rebel attack, should not be included in those discussions. Lavrov stated, "It is unacceptable to allow a terrorist group to take control of territories," TASS reported.

On the other hand, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in a message on Telegram to his fighters said, "We are now on the doorstep of Homs and Damascus, and the toppling of the criminal regime is near." According to Al Jazeera, in a message to opposition fighters, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani said, "You are on the edges of Homs and Damascus, and the fall of the regime is within sight. I renew my call to you, my brothers, to be merciful and gentle when dealing with our people in the cities and villages that you enter."

Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy to Syria, called for calm in the country following rapid advances by the opposition fighters. "I reiterate my call for de-escalation, for calm, for the avoidance of bloodshed and the protection of civilians in line with international humanitarian law," Pedersen said at the Doha Forum for political dialogue, urging "the start of a process that leads to the realisation of the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people," Al Jazeera reported.

As rebel forces claimed taking control of the Daraa city in southwestern Syria, inching closer to the capital Damascus and escalating threat to the over two decade-long leadership of President Bashar al-Assad, US President-elect Donald Trump asserted that this is not America's fight and the US should have "nothing to do with it." The rebels are battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces from two directions; the north and the south, in an attempt to close in on Damascus. Daraa is where the Syrian uprising started in 2011, CNN reported.

"Opposition fighters in Syria, in an unprecedented move, have totally taken over numerous cities, in a highly coordinated offensive, and are now on the outskirts of Damascus, obviously preparing to make a very big move toward taking out President Bashar al-Assad. Russia, because they are so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss thereof over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Criticising the previous policies of former President Barack Obama, Trump further said that there is the possibility of Assad himself being forced out, which can actually be the "best thing" to happen to Syria. "This is where former President Obama refused to honor his commitment of protecting the RED LINE IN THE SAND, and all hell broke out, with Russia stepping in. But now they are, like possibly Assad himself, being forced out, and it may actually be the best thing that can happen to them," Trump stated.

"There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look really stupid. In any event, Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!," he added.

Notably, the conflict in Syria began in 2011, after President Bashar al-Assad moved to stamp out peaceful pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring. Over 3,00,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the United Nations, with millions more displaced across the region.

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