Turkish, UK top diplomats mull developments in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy engaged in a telephone conversation to discuss the ongoing situation in Syria.

During the discussion, the top diplomats focused on measures to mitigate the potential global and regional repercussions of the crisis in Syria, Caliber.Az reports citing Turkish media.

The conversation highlighted their shared concerns over the instability in the region and the need for coordinated efforts to address its broader implications.

Clashes broke out between Assad regime forces and anti-regime armed groups on November 27 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 all of 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 Daraa province on Syria's border with Jordan and recaptured the city center from regime forces after clashes.

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 center.

In the province of Homs, anti-regime forces took control of the provincial center on Saturday.

Groups advancing against Assad regime forces entered the southern suburbs of Damascus later Saturday. Regime forces also withdrew from the defense and interior ministries and the international airport in Damascus.

As anti-regime armed groups started to dominate the capital and the Assad regime on December 8 morning quickly lost all control of Damascus.

Assad and his family fled to Moscow where Russia granted them asylum.

By Vafa Guliyeva