Syrian opposition forces seize control of Deir ez-Zor

Opposition forces, including the Syrian National Army (SNA), have taken control of Deir ez-Zor, the largest city in eastern Syria.

Soldiers of the collapsed Assad regime had to withdraw their troops stationed in Deir ez-Zor. The city remained under the control of the PKK/YPG, Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

Fighting for the city between opposition forces and armed detachments of Kurdish terrorists began on December 8.

The website of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 26 people were killed in the battles for the city. It is not possible to verify this figure from independent sources.

According to security sources, opposition groups, including the Syrian National Army, have completely seized the center of Deir ez-Zor.

To note, Deir ez-Zor is the largest transportation hub in eastern Syria.

Earlier, it was reported that the SNA liberated the district centre of Tel Rifat from the terrorist organization PKK/YPG on the first day of Operation Dawn of Freedom and the city of Manbij in northern Syria, 30 kilometers from the Euphrates.

Let’s recall that on November 27, clashes broke out between Assad regime forces and anti-regime armed groups in rural areas west of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.

On November 30, anti-regime groups took control of most of the center of Aleppo from regime forces, and on the same day, they gained control over the entire Idlib province. On December 5, after fierce clashes, the groups took the city center of Hama from regime forces.

Anti-regime groups captured some settlements in the strategically important province of Homs, a gateway to the capital Damascus, and started to advance there.

On December 6, armed opposition groups launched an operation in the Daraa province on Syria's border with Jordan and after clashes, recaptured the city center from the regime forces.

On December 7, the entire province of Suwayda in southern Syria also came under the control of opposition groups. On the same day, local opposition groups in Quneitra also took control of the provincial centre. In the province of Homs, which leads to the capital, anti-regime forces took control of the provincial centre.

Groups advancing against Assad regime forces entered the southern suburbs of Damascus later on December 7. Regime forces also withdrew from the Defense and Interior ministries and the international airport in Damascus.

On December 8 morning, as anti-regime armed groups started to dominate the capital, the Assad regime quickly lost all control of Damascus. Consequently, on the same day, Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia. According to Russian state media, Assad was granted asylum by Russia on humanitarian grounds in Moscow. The decision to grant asylum to Assad and his family was made personally by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

By Khagan Isayev