Syrian Insurgents Reach Suburbs of Damascus, Capture Major Cities Across Country
Syrian insurgents have reached the suburbs of Damascus as part of a rapidly moving offensive that has seen them take over some of the country’s largest cities. This marks the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the capital since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the region.
The rapid advances by insurgents is a stunning reversal of fortunes for Syrian President Bashar Assad, who appears to be largely on his own. His chief international backer, Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up his forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran, meanwhile, has seen its proxies across the region degraded by Israeli regular airstrikes.
Insurgents have captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth largest city. They have also captured the two provincial capitals of Daraa and Sweida in southern Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, reported that opposition fighters are now active in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana, and Daraya.
Syria’s military has sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, as insurgents approach its outskirts. If the insurgents capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support.
The shock offensive began on November 27 and was led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, which has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the US and the UN. The leader of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, told CNN that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have also captured wide parts of the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, which borders Iraq, as well as the provincial capital. The capture of these areas is a blow to Iran’s influence in the region and is seen as a significant blow to the Syrian government.
The rapid advances by insurgents have been met with international concern, with Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticizing Assad for failing to address the country’s underlying problems and calling for a political process to end the conflict.
