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Rebel fighters inside Syria announced that they had entered the capital Damascus on Sunday, after seizing control of several other cities as part of an effort to oust the president Bashar al-Assad.
Just before dawn, the rebels appear to be entering the city, judging by photos and videos posted on social media.
The development is the latest in an offensive launched by Syrian rebels less than two weeks ago in an attempt to challenge al-Assad’s embattled rule since 2011.
The Syrian government did not immediately make an official statement.
It is not clear whether al-Assad is still in Damascus at this time. The government denied rumors that he had fled the country.
Just hours earlier, the rebels had announced that they had “completely liberated” the city of Homs – the main point of intersection between Damascus and the coastal provinces of Syria Latakia and Tartus, where al-Assad enjoys widespread support and where his Russian allies have a naval base and an air base.
It was part of a major advance, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, to try to topple al-Assad’s 24-year rule.
Government forces were forced to withdraw from Damascus International Airport, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday. No flights appeared to be entering or leaving the airport, according to FlightRadar24.
This is breaking news, more to come…