US secretary of state Antony Blinken admits of having ‘direct contacts’ with Syrian rebel group HTS – Times of India

US secretary of state Antony Blinken confirmed on Saturday that American officials have been in direct communication with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Syrian rebel group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US since 2018.“We’ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken told reporters. HTS recently led a coalition of…

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Syria Civil War: Tomb of ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s father torched in Qardaha – Times of India

The tomb of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s father Hafez was set ablaze in Qardaha, according to a report from the news agency AFP. The footage captured the scene showing armed rebels and civilians observing the burning structure.The Syrian observatory for human rights confirmed to AFP that rebels torched the mausoleum, situated in Latakia province,…

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‘Writing on the wall’: How Syrian teen Mouawiya Syasneh’s 2011 graffiti led to Assad’s downfall 13 years later – Times of India

The downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad after the Syrian rebels took over the capital city of Damascus was already inked on a wall in 2011 by 14-year-old Mouawiya Syasneh’s graffiti which said: “Ejak el door, ya doctor” (It’s your turn, Doctor).“If we had known what would happen, we’d never have written that graffiti,” said…

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Where is Bashar al-Assad? Vanished plane from radar deepens mystery amid rebel takeover – Times of India

Damascus is no longer under the control of Bashar al-Assad, as rebels staged a sudden advance and seized the Syrian capital, marking the end of Assad’s 24-year reign. Early Sunday, two senior army officers reported that Assad boarded a plane from Damascus, heading to an undisclosed location, fueling speculation about his fate.The fall of DamascusThe…

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Syrian rebels capture Hama week after wrestling Aleppo from Assad’s forces – Times of India

Syrian opposition fighters manoeuvre using armoured vehicles seized from the Syrian army in the town of Maarat al-Numan, south of Idlib, Syria, Tuesday December 3, 2024.(AP) Syrian rebels captured the city of Hama on Thursday after a swift advance through northern Syria, marking a significant gain for the insurgents and posing a challenge to President…

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Fall of Aleppo: Who are Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, jihadist group behind resurgence of Syria conflict? – Times of India

Syrian opposition fighters ride in a truck in Talhiya, Idlib countryside, Syria, Friday, November 29, 2024. (AP) Eight years ago, Russian airstrikes helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad‘s forces push rebels out of Aleppo. This was a significant event in the Syrian civil war, which had mostly been in a deadlock since 2020. Last week, however,…

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Syrian government loses control of second-largest city Aleppo for first time in 13 years of civil war – Times of India

Government forces on Sunday lost control of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, for the first time since the conflict began in 2011, according to a war monitor. The Islamist-dominated rebel alliance, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a lightning assault that dealt a severe blow to President Bashar al-Assad‘s Russian- and Iranian-backed regime.The…

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