Syria govt loses control of key city Daraa

HAMA

Syrian government forces have lost control of Daraa city, a war monitor said, in another stunning blow for President Bashar al-Assad's rule after rebels wrested other key cities from his grip.

"Local factions have taken control of more areas in Daraa province, including Daraa city... they now control more than 90 percent of the province, as regime forces successively pulled out," the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources around Syria, said late Friday.

Daraa holds historical significance as the birthplace of Syria's anti-regime resistance, particularly because it was in that city that the first spark of the 2011 uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime ignited.

Protests, initially calling for freedom and reforms, were brutally suppressed by the regime, marking the beginning of the civil war.

The movement in Daraa began March 15, 2011, when a group of students wrote on a school wall, "Hey Doctor (Bashar al-Assad), now it's your turn," which triggered widespread protests in Syria after the Arab Spring was ignited in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Daraa province borders Jordan.

Despite a truce brokered by Assad ally Russia, the province has been plagued by unrest in recent years, with frequent attacks, clashes and assassinations.

Fidan-Blinken talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a "political solution to the conflict" and for the protection of civilians and minorities, his spokesperson said Friday, in a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Fidan underlined Friday that the chaos in Syria should not be allowed to benefit terror organizations such as PKK and ISIL.

Emphasizing the importance of not repeating past mistakes, Fidan underlined that at this stage, the regime must act realistically by engaging in dialogue with the opposition and initiating a political process.

He highlighted that all actors in the region should play a constructive role.

Fidan also said it is important to take necessary measures to prevent chemical weapons held by the regime from becoming a risk for the region.

Emphasizing the importance of humanitarian aid reaching Syria, Fidan noted that Türkiye has provided the necessary support.

Big loss for the regime

Syria's civil war, which began with Assad's crackdown on democracy protests, has killed more than 500,000 people and forced more than half the population to flee their homes.

Never in the war had Assad's forces lost control of so many key cities in such a short space of time.

Since an anti-regime alliance led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched its offensive on Nov. 27, the government has lost second city Aleppo and subsequently Hama in central Syria.

The anti-regime fighters were on Friday at the gates of Homs, Syria's third city, as the government pulled out its troops from Deir Ezzor in the east.

In an interview published on Friday, the leader of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said the aim of the offensive was to overthrow Assad.

"When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve that goal," Jolani told CNN.

 Sudden withdrawal 

As the army and its Iran-backed militia allies pulled out of Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, anti-regime forces said they crossed the Euphrates river and took control of the territory that had been vacated.

The Observatory said government troops and their allies withdrew "suddenly" from the east and headed towards the oasis town of Palmyra on the desert road to Homs.

The anti-regime forces launched their offensive the same day a ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon in the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Lebanese militant group has been an important Assad ally, alongside Russia and Iran.

Türkiye, which has backed the opposition, said it would hold talks with Russia and Iran in Qatar this weekend.

Ahead of the talks, the foreign ministers of Iran, Iraq and Syria met in Baghdad, where Syria's Bassam al-Sabbagh accused the government's enemies of seeking to "redraw the political map".

Iran's Abbas Araghchi pledged to provide Assad's government with "whatever (support) is needed".

But Tehran has started to withdraw its military commanders and personnel, including some diplomatic staff, from Syria, the New York Times reported Friday, citing unnamed regional officials and three Iranian officials.

Syrians who were forced out of the country years ago by the initial crackdown on the revolt were glued to their phones as they watched current developments unfold.

"We've been dreaming of this for more than a decade," said Yazan, a 39-year-old former activist who now lives in France.

 'Our joy is indescribable' 

The army shelled the advancing anti-regime forces as Syrian and Russian aircraft struck from the skies. At least 20 civilians, including five children, were killed in the bombardment, the war monitor added.

At least 826 people, mostly combatants but also including 111 civilians, have been killed since the offensive began last week, according to the Observatory's figures, while the United Nations said the violence has displaced 280,000 people.

Many of the scenes witnessed in recent days would have been unimaginable earlier in the war.

In Hama, an AFP photographer saw residents set fire to a giant poster of Assad on the facade of city hall.

"Our joy is indescribable, and we wish this for every honourable Syrian to experience these happy moments that we have been deprived of since birth," said Hama resident Ghiath Suleiman.

Online footage verified by AFP showed residents toppling a statue of Assad's father Hafez, under whose brutal rule the army carried out a massacre in the city in the 1980s.