{"id":134693,"date":"2024-12-08T10:57:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T03:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134693"},"modified":"2024-12-08T10:57:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T03:57:52","slug":"syrian-rebels-advance-into-damascus-claiming-they-seized-control-of-the-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134693","title":{"rendered":"Syrian rebels advance into Damascus, claiming they seized control of the capital"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"\">Rebel fighters claimed they captured the Syrian capital of Damascus  early Sunday as government forces loyal to the country&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/syria-election-bashar-assad-civil-war-baath-party-rcna161836\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">president, Bashar al-Assad,\u00a0<\/a>were routed in a mater of days. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The rebels&#8217; claim would open a new chapter in the 13-year-long civil war that has ravaged the ancient land.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,&#8221; Hassan Abdul-Ghani, senior commander of the militant group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/syria-aleppo-rebels-civil-war-insurgents-civil-war-rcna182270\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hayat Tahrir al-Sham<\/a>, known as HTS, said in a post on WhatsApp. &#8220;To the displaced people around the world, Free Syria awaits you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">NBC News has not independently confirmed the rebel&#8217;s claim.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Assad&#8217;s location was not immediately known.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">HTS General Command said it also freed the people being held in Sednaya Prison. The Syrian government has detained thousands at the military prison on the outskirts of Damascus, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/syria-rebels-celebrate-captured-homs-set-sights-damascus-2024-12-07\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWe announce to the Syrian people the news of the liberation of our captives and the breaking of their chains, proclaiming the end of the era of oppression in Sednaya Prison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The sudden takeover of the capital by HTS militants was seen as a blow to the outside forces that have enabled Assad to cling to power for 24 years \u2014 Russia, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iran\u00a0<\/a>and Iranian-backed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/gaza-israel-hezbollah-ceasefire-hostages-rcna181973\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hezbollah<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Damascus fell not long after rebels on Friday besieged the Syrian city of Homs with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/hama-syria-syrian-rebels-assad-rcna182774\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rapid assault on government forces<\/a> that left three of the country\u2019s five largest cities in their hands and nothing to stop them from marching on the Syrian capital. HTS rebels claimed Saturday that they had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/syrian-rebels-claim-control-fourth-city-advance-damascus-rcna183291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">captured the city<\/a>, a day after also claiming to have seized the city of Daraa. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The\u00a0U.S., which has about 900 American troops in northern Syria,\u00a0has been closely monitoring developments in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In less than two weeks, the HTS rebels were also able to capture the<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/syrian-insurgents-breach-aleppo-rcna182221\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">city of Aleppo\u00a0<\/a>in the north, as well as the central city of Hama, where government forces were forced out Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The HTS attack on Aleppo was the first opposition assault on the city since 2016, when a brutal air campaign by Russian warplanes helped\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/syria-election-bashar-assad-civil-war-baath-party-rcna161836\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Assad<\/a> retake<strong> <\/strong>control of Aleppo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cOur forces continue to advance towards the city of Homs at a steady pace, thanks to God, after the arrival of convoys carrying hundreds of displaced people from Homs to deter Assad\u2019s aggression against their city,\u201d Hassan Abdul-Ghani, senior commander of the HTS-led forces, posted Friday on X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The rapid advance by HTS comes as the Mideast is awash in fresh fighting, with U.S.-backed Israel trying to root out Hamas in Gaza and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/israel-hezbollah-ceasefire-offers-fragile-peace-fear-will-not-enough-rcna182782\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">maintain a fragile ceasefire<\/a> with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are Iranian-allied groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Meanwhile, pro-Assad soldiers were battling\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/female-kurdish-commander-saved-american-lives-killed-turkish-drone-str-rcna40354\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kurdish forces\u00a0<\/a>that seized government positions in eastern Syria near the cities of Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zour, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">HTS grew out of the former\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/taliban-keep-close-ties-al-qaeda-despite-promise-u-s-n1258033\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Al Qaeda<\/a>\u00a0affiliate\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/iraqi-al-qaeda-syria-militants-announce-formal-merger-flna1c9282520\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jabhat al-Nusra<\/a>\u00a0and is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s one of several competing forces in Syria fighting to bring down the Assad regime that, since the beginning of the country\u2019s civil war almost 14 years ago, has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">A 2020 ceasefire left Assad in control of 70% of Syria, but some 6.8 million Syrians have fled the country. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Many have gone to Europe, where the sudden influx of Syrian refugees has fueled a resurgence of anti-immigrant far-right movements from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voanews.com\/a\/thousands-protest-uncontrolled-immigration-to-portugal\/7803845.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Portugal<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/poland-donald-tusk-asylum-right-border-migration-belarus-russia-hybrid-war-eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Poland.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The recent battlefield successes of HTS are the culmination of four years of trying to turn the rebel forces into a force capable of challenging Assad&#8217;s army and equipping them with drones and other high-tech weapons of war, experts have said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"endmark\">\u201cThe expansion of units &#8230; along with large-scale indigenous rocket and missile production \u2014 has created a force that Assad\u2019s regime has seriously struggled to defend against, let alone outmaneuver,\u201d said Charles Lister, director of the Syria program at the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank, in a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Charles_Lister\/status\/1864695358883832240\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post on X.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"articleDevelopingTag\">\n<p>This is a<span class=\"articleDevelopingTag__content--red\"> developing <\/span>story. Please check back for updates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"expanded-byline-contributors articleBylineContainer\">\n<div class=\"expanded-byline article-expanded-byline\" data-activity-map=\"expanded-byline-article-bottom\"><span class=\"byline-thumbnail byline-thumbnail--no-image expanded-byline__thumbnail\" data-testid=\"byline-thumbnail\"\/><span class=\"byline-name expanded-byline__name\" data-testid=\"byline-name\">Ammar Cheikh Omar<\/span><span class=\"byline-social expanded-byline__social\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/mailto:Ammar.Cheikhomar@nbcuni.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"byline-social--link\"><span class=\"icon icon-email\"\/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"expanded-byline__bio-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"byline-bio expanded-byline__bio\">Ammar\u00a0Cheikh Omar is a producer for NBC News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"expanded-byline article-expanded-byline\" data-activity-map=\"expanded-byline-article-bottom\">\n<div class=\"byline-thumbnail byline-thumbnail--has-image expanded-byline__thumbnail\" data-testid=\"byline-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/author\/carol-e-lee-ncpn788956\"><picture data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/newscms\/2020_02\/3181656\/carol-lee-circle-byline-template.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best\/newscms\/2020_02\/3181656\/carol-lee-circle-byline-template.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best\/newscms\/2020_02\/3181656\/carol-lee-circle-byline-template.jpg\" alt=\"\" height=\"48\" width=\"48\"\/><\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"byline-name expanded-byline__name\" data-testid=\"byline-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/author\/carol-e-lee-ncpn788956\">Carol E. Lee<\/a><\/span><span class=\"byline-social expanded-byline__social\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/carolelee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"byline-social--link\"><span class=\"icon icon-twitter\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/mailto:Carol.Lee@nbcuni.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"byline-social--link\"><span class=\"icon icon-email\"\/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"expanded-byline__bio-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"byline-bio expanded-byline__bio\">Carol E. Lee is the Washington managing editor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"expanded-byline article-expanded-byline\" data-activity-map=\"expanded-byline-article-bottom\">\n<div class=\"byline-thumbnail byline-thumbnail--has-image expanded-byline__thumbnail\" data-testid=\"byline-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/author\/corky-siemaszko-ncpn464906\"><picture data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/newscms\/2019_28\/2929116\/190613-corky_siemaszko-byline1016.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best\/newscms\/2019_28\/2929116\/190613-corky_siemaszko-byline1016.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best\/newscms\/2019_28\/2929116\/190613-corky_siemaszko-byline1016.jpg\" alt=\"\" height=\"48\" width=\"48\"\/><\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"byline-name expanded-byline__name\" data-testid=\"byline-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/author\/corky-siemaszko-ncpn464906\">Corky Siemaszko<\/a><\/span><span class=\"byline-social expanded-byline__social\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/csiemaszko\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"byline-social--link\"><span class=\"icon icon-twitter\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/mailto:Corky.Siemaszko@nbcuni.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"byline-social--link\"><span class=\"icon icon-email\"\/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"expanded-byline__bio-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"byline-bio expanded-byline__bio\">Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/syrian-rebels-claim-captured-capital-damascus-rcna183263\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rebel fighters claimed they captured the Syrian capital of Damascus early Sunday as government forces loyal to the country&#8217;s president, Bashar al-Assad,\u00a0were routed in a mater of days. The rebels&#8217; &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=134693\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134693\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}