Rebel factions have advanced to within 20 kilometers of the capital Damascus after taking control of the southern province of Deraa, according to statements made Saturday by a rebel commander and a monitoring group.
The fence of the border between Israel and Syria as seen from a hill on the Golan Heights © Mena Today
Rebel factions have advanced to within 20 kilometers of the capital Damascus after taking control of the southern province of Deraa, according to statements made Saturday by a rebel commander and a monitoring group.
In related developments, seven civilians were reportedly killed near Homs in airstrikes carried out by Russian and Syrian forces, according to human rights organizations monitoring the conflict. These strikes underline the ongoing toll on civilians caught in the crossfire of the decade-long war.
Meanwhile, government forces are reported to be withdrawing from Quneitra province, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, marking another strategic shift in the conflict. This withdrawal comes as pressure mounts on the Syrian regime from various fronts.
Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani will meet with U.S. lawmakers in Washington this week to discuss the lifting of remaining U.S. sanctions on his country, Senator Lindsey Graham was quoted as saying by Axios.
Some of the most senior U.S. diplomats focused on Syria have been abruptly let go from their posts in recent days, according to five people familiar with the matter, a shake-up that comes as Washington seeks to integrate its Syrian Kurdish allies with the central administration in Damascus.
The Middle East Institute (MEI) will host Syrian Interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in New York City on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in a special conversation with Charles Lister, Senior Fellow and Director of MEI’s Syria Initiative.
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