Amman/Beirut, December 7
Syrian rebels said they captured the southern city of Daraa on Saturday, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against the country’s President Bashar al-Assad. Along with this, the army of the country has lost the fourth city of the country in a week. Rebel sources said the army had agreed to a phased withdrawal from Daraa under a deal that gave army officials safe passage to the capital, Damascus, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north.
Social media videos show rebels on motorcycles and others meeting civilians on the streets. According to videos, people fired shots into the air in the city’s main square in celebration. There was no immediate comment from the military or Assad’s government, and the news agency did not independently confirm the rebel claim.
Also read:
Foreign Ministry advises citizens to avoid travel to Syria
With the rebels’ capture of Daraa, Assad’s forces have captured four key centers in a week. The city, which had a population of more than 100,000 before the country’s civil war broke out 13 years ago, holds symbolic importance as the main focus of the rebellion. It is the capital of the province with the same name (Daraa) with a population of about 1 million people, bordering Jordan.
Daraa was captured late on Friday after rebels claimed they had advanced to the outskirts of the central city of Homs, a key crossroads between the capital and the Mediterranean coast. If the rebels take control of Homs, the main coastal stronghold of Assad’s minority ‘Alawi’ community, also known as ‘Nasiri’, will be cut off from a Russian naval base and airport. It is worth noting that Russia is a major ally and helper of Assad.
A coalition of rebel factions has issued a final warning to troops loyal to the Assad regime in Homs to leave the city immediately. According to eyewitnesses, even before the advance of the rebels, thousands of people are leaving Homs and fleeing to the government’s main coastal strongholds like Latakia and Tartus, and the country is in complete lawlessness and anarchy. – Reuters