The coalition of pro-Turkish rebels is moving decisively towards Damascusthe Syrian capital: they have already arrived at the borders of Homs, the last significant city before the capital. Meanwhile, the regime of Bashar al-Assad shows signs of abating, and unconfirmed rumors spread throughout yesterday evening that the president had fled Syria with his family. Pro-regime propaganda, in an attempt to deny it, instead spread news of his trip to Iran for talks. In the south of the country, a Suwaydasome important figures have already abandoned their positions: among these, the police chief, the prison chief and local representatives of the Baath party, the ruling party.
The Russian Air Force launched a series of air raids north of Homshitting the columns of anti-government insurgents marching towards the city from Hama. The Russian jets took off from the base of Hmeimim, located on the Mediterranean coast. At the same time, Moscow invited Russian citizens present in Syria to leave the country, “in light of the complex situation on the ground” and China also issued a similar warning yesterday. The operation follows the recent loss by Russian forces of control of Hama airport, in the heart of central Syria, a circumstance made even more serious by the fact that the insurgents have also taken control of a Russian air defense base ( also near Hama) equipped with the S-75 Dvina missile system. This was reported by Syrian and Turkish media. In the northeastern province of Deir Ezzor further clashes occurred, with the withdrawal of Syrian troops and pro-Iranian militias which allowed the advance of Kurdish forces, already present in the area east of the Euphrates. In the evening, Mazloum Abdicommander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), declared his willingness to engage in dialogue with the rebels to address the “new reality” of Syria. According to some sources, preliminary contacts with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would have already been started. At the same time, a meeting was held in Baghdad between the Iraqi Foreign Minister and his counterparts from Iran and Syria to discuss the regional situation. Today, however, a crucial meeting is scheduled in Doha between the foreign ministries of Turkey, Russia and Iran, with the aim of relaunching the “Astana Process”, an initiative launched in 2016 to promote a peaceful political solution for Syria and certainly Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan he will ask the allies to get rid of Assad.
Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the Hts militia who leads the armed opposition in Syria and who is always at ease in front of television, gave (in a secret location) the first interview in years to CNN: «The objective of the revolution it is the overthrow of this regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve this goal. Syria deserves an institutional system of government, not one in which a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions,” al-Jolani said. Syrian insurgents from the Daraa region, on the border with Jordan, have taken control of the Nassib border crossing between the two countries. The news was reported by pan-Arab and Syrian media, which released images of the anti-government fighters present on site, without a trace of the Jordanian border guards who fled in time. In turn, the Lebanese authorities have ordered the closure of all border crossings with Syria until further orders.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday a strengthening of its air and ground forces in the Northern Heights region. Golan. The decision was made based on ongoing situation assessments since Thursday at the General Staff and the Northern Command, in response to developments in the internal conflict in Syria. In an attempt to shore up the Assad regime, Iran is now considering sending missiles and drones to Syria and increasing the number of its military advisors in the country. It is likely that Tehran will have to send military equipment, missiles and drones to Syria. Now, Tehran is providing intelligence and satellite support to Syria,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters. Yesterday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally threw away his mask by making a series of statements which prove that Abu Mohammad al-Jolani moved while counting on Turkish support: «I hope that the advance of the rebels in Syria will continue without incident. Idlib, Hama, Homs and obviously the Damascus objective: the advance of the opponents continues. We hope that this advance will continue without incident.” Then, speaking to journalists after participating in Friday prayers in a mosque in Istanbul, Erdogan said: «We launched an appeal to Bashar al-Assad, we said strength, let’s determine the future of Syria together. Unfortunately, we did not receive a positive response regarding this.” After severing relations with Assad in 2011, following support for opposition protests, Erdogan has repeatedly requested a meeting with the Syrian president in recent years in an attempt to restore diplomatic relations. Given Bashar al-Assad’s denial, the Turkish president has bet everything on jihadists by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. We’ll see if the gamble pays off.
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