Syria flag (flickr).
A series of anti-government protests broke out in the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on December 7, as militants led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham launched an attack on the city of Homs in the central region.
Protests were spotted in the towns of al-Kiswa, Jaramana, Daraya, Moadamiyeh, and Qatana, which are all located to the south and west of Damascus.
While Syrian pro-opposition media reported withdrawals by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), a military official told the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency that “sleeper cells linked to the terrorist groups” were filming videos to spread around the capital.
It’s worth noting that the militants captured the southern governorate of al-Qunitra earlier in the day, and entered the governorate of Rif Dimashq. The towns of Zakia, Kanaker and Saasaa fell into the hands of the militants, who were said to be some 20-30 kilometers away from Damascus city center.
Meanwhile in Syria’s eastern region, the Syrian government appear to have lost complete control over the governorate of Deir Ezzor, with remaining SAA troops, numbered at around 1,600, withdrawing into Iraq.
The army also pulled out from vast parts of the eastern Homs countryside, including the ancient city of Palmyra. The fate of several key air bases that are located between the eastern Homs countryside and Rif Dimashq remain unclear.
Amid the escalation in southern and eastern Syria, HTS and its allies launched their attack on Homs city. Fierce clashes are reportedly taking place there, with the militants attempting to storm the city from its northern and eastern directions. So far, the SAA defenses there appear to be holding.
The escalation in Syria began on November 27, when HTS and its allies launched a large-scale offensive in the country’s northern and central region. So far, the militants have captured hundreds square kilometers, including all of Idlib governorate in addition to the cities of Aleppo and Hama. The Syrian government also lost control of most of the southern and all of the eastern regions.
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