Syrian rebels reach Damascus suburbs – rebel commander
Syrian insurgents have reached the suburbs of Damascus, opposition activists and a rebel commander said on Saturday, as a rapidly moving offensive in which they have taken over some of Syria’s largest cities continued.
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were active in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya.
He said opposition fighters were also marching from eastern Syria towards the Damascus suburb of Harasta.
Hassan Abdul-Ghani, an insurgent commander, posted on Telegram that opposition forces had started to encircle Damascus in the “final stage” of their offensive. He said fighters were heading from southern Syria towards Damascus.
We will bring you live updates on this developing story.
Key events
At least 30 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Saturday, according to local health officials.
Qatar expressed hope for renewed efforts toward a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Palestinian health officials, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its daily death tolls, said that dozens more were injured across the enclave.
Syrian rebels have entered the suburbs of the city of Homs, according to Reuters.
A Homs resident and army and rebel sources told the news agency that the insurgents had breached government defenses from the north and east of the city.
A rebel commander said they had taken control of an army camp and villages outside the city.
The Syrian military, which had sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments on the reports.
Insurgents have seized almost the entire southwest within 24 hours, and they have advanced to within 30 km (20 miles) of Damascus.
Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al-Qaida affiliate, said on Saturday it has a duty to protect governmental, international and UN offices in Syria.
Meanwhile, in Doha, the UN special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, urged “calm” and “avoidance of bloodshed”.
“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”.
Israel’s military assists UN forces against attack in Syria
The Israeli military said it is helping United Nations forces to head off an attack on a UN position in Syria close to the Israeli border, the Associated Press is reporting.
The army said in a statement on Saturday that an attack was carried out by “armed individuals” on a UN post near the Syrian town of Hader and it was “assisting UN forces in repelling the attack”.
Hamas released a video claiming to show Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker in captivity.
The video released on Saturday shows a man who introduces himself as the 24-year-old Matan Zangauker. He can be seen pleading with the Israeli leaders to make a deal that would bring captives being held by Hamas in Gaza back to Israel.
Nearly 100 hostages, both dead and alive, are believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza since the 7 October 2023 raid by the group.
After Israel signed a landmark ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon last month, mediating countries see increased momentum for a possible deal that could allow the hostages to be released in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.
Patrick Wintour
Speaking in Doha, the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said he secured the joint agreement from the foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Russia to hold urgent talks in Geneva with a date to be agreed shortly.
He said: “The need for an orderly political transition has never been more urgent,” saying it needed to start with credible inclusive transitional arrangements. He said the talks would be the start of a process that led to the restoration of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria.
Eager to use the crisis to breathe life into Syria’s stalled diplomatic process, Pedersen said he had also been in touch with representatives from the US, France, Germany and the UK.
Here are some of the latest images coming through from Syria:
Trump says the US should have nothing to do with the conflict in Syria
President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday the U.S. should not be involved in the conflict in Syria, where rebel forces are threatening the government of president Bashar al-Assad.
“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!” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Protesters brought down the statue of the late father of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a main square in Jermana suburb, nearly ten kilometers from the centre of Damascus, a witness and activists told Reuters.
The protesters in the mainly Druze inhabited suburb, who called for the downfall of Assad, also headed to government buildings in the heavily policed area of the capital where several security branches are located, they said.
The protesters headed to security offices to demand they evacuate from their area, activist Ryan Marouf, editor of Suwayda 24, a website that covers the province, told Reuters.
The authorities have tolerated most protests by the country’s Druze minority, unlike in other government-held areas where demonstrators are fired on by security forces.
Bashar al-Assad remains in Damascus – state news agency
Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, remains in Damascus and is carrying out his work from the capital, the Syrian state news agency said on Saturday.
Anti-government protesters toppled a statue of Assad’s late father, Hafez, in the mostly Druze and Christian Damascus suburb of Jaramana earlier on Saturday, witnesses told Agence France-Presse.
A witness said he he had seen dozens of protesters tearing down the statue in a main square in Jaramana, which bears the former president’s name. Another witness said the statue had been broken up when he went to the square later. Video footage circulating online and verified by AFP showed young men toppling the statue and chanting anti-Assad slogans.
Around 2,000 Syrian troops have crossed the border into Iraq and sought refuge, Turki Al-Mahlawi, the mayor of Al-Qaim border town, told Reuters.
Some of the troops were wounded and are currently receiving medical treatment, he added.
Syrian rebels reach Damascus suburbs – rebel commander
Syrian insurgents have reached the suburbs of Damascus, opposition activists and a rebel commander said on Saturday, as a rapidly moving offensive in which they have taken over some of Syria’s largest cities continued.
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were active in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya.
He said opposition fighters were also marching from eastern Syria towards the Damascus suburb of Harasta.
Hassan Abdul-Ghani, an insurgent commander, posted on Telegram that opposition forces had started to encircle Damascus in the “final stage” of their offensive. He said fighters were heading from southern Syria towards Damascus.
We will bring you live updates on this developing story.
