ImageimOn Saturday, Syrian rebels said they have begun to encircle the capital Damascus. “Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital, Damascus,” said rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, with the Islamist-led alliance that launched the offensive.
The leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group told fighters to prepare to take the capital Damascus: “Damascus awaits you,” Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a Telegram statement addressed to rebel fighters, using his real name instead of his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Footage circulating on social media appears to show them advancing towards Homs, which is Syria’s third largest city. Capturing Homs would bring them a step closer to seizing the capital Damascus.
The defense ministry flatly denied the army had fled positions near the city. “There is no truth to news claiming our armed forces, present in all areas of the Damascus countryside, have withdrawn,” it said.
The battle for Damascus carries immense symbolic and strategic importance. As the heart of Syria’s political power and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, the capital represents a pivotal prize in the conflict.
