Syrian rebels topple Assad who flees to Russia in Mideast shakeup
Updated: 7am, 9th December, 2024 (AEDT) Amman, Jordan/Beirut, Lebanon/Cairo, Egypt Reuters Syrian rebels seized the capital Damascus unopposed on Sunday after a lightning advance that sent President Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia after a 13-year civil war and six decades of his family’s autocratic rule. In one of the biggest turning points for the Middle […]
Syrian army quits Homs, cutting Assad off from coast
Amman, Jordan/Beirut, Lebanon Reuters Syrian Government forces abandoned the key city of Homs on Saturday after less than a day of fighting, leaving President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule dangling by a thread with insurgents also advancing towards the capital Damascus. Since the rebels’ sweep into Aleppo a week ago, government defences have crumbled at dizzying […]
Syrian rebels claim to reach key city of Homs while, in east, sources say US-backed Syrian Kurds seize eastern city of Deir el-Zor
Beirut, Lebanon/Amman, Jordan/Dubai, United Arab Emirates Reuters Syrian rebel forces said on Friday their lightning advance reached the central city of Homs, which could position the insurgents to topple another town strategic to President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power. “Our forces have liberated the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs and […]
Rebels’ capture of Aleppo stirs Syrian homecoming hopes in Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey Reuters Doctor Mehdi Davut smiles as he describes his planned return to his homeland Syria for the first time in eight years to see how his aid association can help in Aleppo, a major city seized by rebels last week. “The liberation of Aleppo brought us such joy because Aleppo was a source […]
Syrian rebels capture key city of Hama in fresh blow to Assad
Amman, Jordan/Beirut, Lebanon Reuters Syrian rebels captured the city of Hama on Thursday, a major victory in a week-old lightning advance across northern Syria and a devastating new blow to President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies. After years locked behind frozen frontlines, the rebels have burst forth to mount the swiftest battlefield […]
Syrian military and rebels battle around Hama
Amman, Jordan Reuters Syrian rebels battled government forces and allied militia on Wednesday in villages north and east of Hama, a major city whose capture would pile pressure on President Bashar al-Assad. The rebels have staged their biggest advance in years over the past week, seizing Aleppo – Syria’s biggest city before the war – […]
Syrian rebels advance close to Hama city, piling pressure on Assad and his allies
Beirut, Lebanon/Amman, Jordan Reuters Syrian rebels advancing against government forces pushed close on Tuesday to the major city of Hama, rebels and a war monitor said, after their sudden capture of Aleppo last week rocked President Bashar al-Assad. Rebels and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said insurgents had captured villages including Maar […]
Iraqi fighters head to Syria to battle rebels but Lebanon’s Hezbollah stays out, sources say
Amman, Jordan/Beirut, Lebanon Reuters Hundreds of Iran-backed Iraqi fighters crossed into Syria on Monday to help the government fight rebels who seized Aleppo last week, while Lebanon’s Hezbollah has no plans for now to join them, according to sources. Iran’s constellation of allied regional militia groups, aided by Russian air power, has been integral to […]
Russian, Syrian jets intensify bombing of Syria’s rebel-held north-west
Amman, Jordan Reuters Russian and Syrian jets struck the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria on Sunday, military sources said, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush insurgents who had swept into the city of Aleppo. Residents said one attack on the second day of raids hit a crowded residential area in the centre […]
Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, Russia conducts strikes in support of Assad
Amman, Jordan Reuters The Syrian army said on Saturday dozens of its soldiers had been killed in a major attack led by Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels who swept into the city of Aleppo, forcing the army to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air […]