Opposition forces within 10 kilometers of the Syrian capital, reports say
Shafaq News/ Opposition armed factions are now just a few kilometers away from Damascus, the Syrian capital, media reports indicated on Saturday.
"Regime forces have withdrawn from Artouz in the Damascus countryside, bringing the opposition factions within 10 kilometers of the capital,” the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights (SOHR) affirmed.
The opposition factions have reportedly surrounded the towns of Zakiyah, Khan Al-Sheh, and Saasaa to secure the release of prisoners from the military intelligence prison.
In Suwayda province, the SOHR noted that local factions released detainees from the central prison who were held for non-criminal reasons.
Meanwhile, in Daraa province, regime forces reportedly fully withdrew after the Ninth Division retreated from Al-Sanamayn in the north, allowing opposition forces to seize the city after taking control of the province.
"Our forces have entered the city of Al-Sanamayn, bringing us less than 20 kilometers from Damascus' southern gate," Hassan Abdul Ghani, a leader of the armed Syrian opposition, posted on Telegram, hinting at coordinated attacks.
Notably, Al-Sanamayn, a strategic hub linking southern Syria to Damascus, houses military bases and weapons depots under regime control.
Opposition fighters advance toward Homs' outskirts in central Syria, as government forces bolster their frontlines. Alongside their control of Aleppo in the north, Hama in the center, and Deir ez-Zor in the east, opposition fighters have risen up in Suwayda and Daraa in the south.
On the other side, the Syrian army stated it was conducting airstrikes around Hama and Homs, deploying reinforcements to the frontlines, and repositioning around Daraa and Suwayda, without acknowledging any loss of control to opposition forces.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense denied reports of troop withdrawals in the Damascus countryside and refuted claims that “terrorists” had entered Al-Qaryatayn, southeast of Homs, affirming that its forces remain stationed and fully prepared.
