Syrian rebels penetrate in Damascus, Assad regime breaks
Syrian rebels penetrate in Damascus, Assad regime breaks
CNN reports that Syrian rebels apparently have invaded the capital Damascus after they have only received little resistance from the government forces. The long-time ruler President Bashar al-Assad seems to lose his control over the country.
rebels conquer Damascus
"The rebels are in barzeh," said a resident CNN and added that there are currently fighting. Already on Sunday morning, a source informed about the rebel's advance and explained: "From a militarily, Damascus fell."
The case of Homs
hours earlier, the most important armed opposition group Syria had explained that it had "completely liberated" the important city of Homs, north of the capital. Syrians could be seen on the streets of how they advised Assad's posters and set fire. These scenes reminded of the pro-democratic protests in this city during the Arab spring over a decade.
strategic importance of homs
The day before, observers still emphasized how strategically HOMS was for the rebels, since the conquest of the city in fact would split the Assad regime in half and the connection between the government in Damascus and the coast. But until Sunday morning it was unclear whether there was still a functioning regime.
rapid progress of the rebels
The progress of the rebels is impressively fast. After they had broken out of their area in the northwestern province of Idlib, they conquered the cities aleppo and Hama . After a new uprising in the southern province of Daraa included them on Friday, both groups focused on Damascus.
Success reports of the rebels
"We were able to free four Syrian cities within 24 hours: Daraa, Quneitra, Suwayda and Homs," said Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani, a spokesman for the main opposition group. "Our operations for the liberation of the entire surrounding area of Damascus continue and our eyes are aimed at the capital Damascus."
preparations for defense
The rebels from the south had previously declared that they had arrived at the gates of Damascus. Videos that have been geolocalized by CNN show residents that overturn a large statue of Assad's father, former President Hafez al-Assad, in the suburb of Jaramana. In the course of the evening, the rebels were active in several suburbs, just a few kilometers from the presidential palace.
contradictory information about Assad's whereabouts
It was expected that the regime would build a greater defense of Damascus, but the rebels reported that high-ranking officials from the Assad regime prepared to run over to them. Although the official line of the Syrian President Office says that Assad had not fled, a source, with knowledge of the situation, told CNN that Assad was "not found in Damascus anywhere".
sounded the earlier protests
After the government troops left Homs, the residents flocked to the streets jubilantly. Videos that have been geolocalized by CNN show residents who tear down the posters of Assad and his father at the gates of the officers' club in the city center.
symbolism of the celebrations
The scenes are reminiscent of one of the most symbolic images from the Arab spring in Syria, as pro-democratic demonstrators in 2011 accepted the same posters. In the vicinity, residents were also seen on the seat of the clock in the center of the original anti-government protests.
memories of brutal repression
In order to suppress these protests, the regional union worm started a brutal attack on the Khalidiya district in 2012, in which tanks and mortar were used to attack residential areas, which led to the collapse of buildings. Regimeters stormed the area and set up a massacre with around 200 people killed.
a sign of hope
In a video that was streamed live by a resident late on Saturday, you could see how a resident threw a framed portrait of Assad to the ground, the glass splintering. In the course of ten minutes the place with Syrians, the cheered and the increasing obvious weakening of the Assad regime celebrated.
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