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Syria’s army said it was redeploying in the southern provinces of Daraa and Sweida on Saturday, after a war monitor reported that rebel forces has seized most of Daraa province. Syrian rebels said they seized control of Daraa city on Saturday, the fourth city President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have lost in a week. Follow our liveblog to see how the day’s events unfold.
Syrian army says ‘redeploying’ in southern Daraa, Sweida provinces
Syria’s army said it was redeploying in two southern provinces Saturday, after a war monitor reported Damascus had lost control of most of Daraa province, the cradle of the country’s 2011 uprising.
“Our forces operating in Daraa and Sweida are redeploying and repositioning, and establishing a… security cordon… after terrorist elements attacked remote army checkpoints,” the General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said in a statement carried by state media.
Syrian rebels seize fourth city, Daraa, close in on Homs
Syrian rebels said they seized control of the southern city of Daraa on Saturday, the birthplace of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and the fourth city his forces have lost in a week.
Rebel sources said the military agreed to make an orderly withdrawal from Daraa under a deal giving army officials safe passage to the capital Damascus, about 100 km (60 miles) north.
Social media videos showed rebels on motorcycles and others mingling with residents on the streets. People fired shots into the air at the city’s main square in celebration, according to the videos.
There was no immediate comment from the military or Assad’s government. FRANCE 24 could not independently verify the rebels’ claim.
Daraa’s seizure followed the rebels’ claim late on Friday that they had advanced to the edge of the central city of Homs, a key crossroads between the capital and the Mediterranean coast.
Blinken urges protection of civilians, minorities in Syria
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called for the protection of civilians and minorities in Syria, as rebel groups continued to seize swathes of territory from the control of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
During a phone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, “Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of protecting civilians, including members of minority groups, across Syria. The Secretary discussed the need for a political solution to the conflict,” said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
US tells citizens leave Syria ‘now while commercial options remain available’
US citizens in Syria should immediately leave the country “while commercial options remain available,” the State Department said Friday, as Islamist-led rebel forces continue their offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s troops.
“The security situation continues to be volatile and unpredictable with active clashes between armed groups throughout the country. The Department urges US citizens to depart Syria now while commercial options remain available,” the department said in a security alert posted on social media.
Welcome to our liveblog, where we post the latest developments on the conflicts in Syria. To read all about yesterday’s key events, click here.
- Syrian rebel fighters were advancing towards the country’s third city Homs on Friday, a war monitor said, a day after they seized control of Hama further north in a lightning sweep of government-held territory.
- The head of the Islamist group leading the Syrian rebel alliance, HTS chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said the insurgents’ goal was to “overthrow” Bashar al-Assad’s regime in an interview with CNN.
- The Israeli army said it conducted air strikes on Hezbollah “weapon-smuggling routes” on the Syria-Lebanon border, just over a week into a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon.
- Syrian government forces on Friday withdrew from eastern city of Deir Ezzor, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, and Reuters)
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