Uncertainty prevails in Damascus as rebels advance towards Syrian capital

Zaina Shahla, a 42-year-old journalist who lives in the center of the Syrian capital, tells the BBC the streets of Damascus were unnaturally empty on a Saturday night.

He said after a “normal” morning the streets were filled with people trying to stock up on supplies as reports emerged of rebel fighters advancing on the city from both the north and south.

Now, it seems everyone has gone home – the uncertainty of the situation has created a “feeling of fear” among residents.

“We are scared because we don’t really know what is going to happen,” Ms Shahla said. “Nobody wants to see fighting in Damascus.”

He added, “Everything is vague and nothing is clear to anyone.”

His sentiments are echoed by Reem Turkmani, director of the Syria Conflict Research Program at the London School of Economics.

His sister in Damascus told him that shops were closing, supplies were running low and ATMs were out of cash, he said.

“Nobody knows what’s happening,” Ms Turkmani told the BBC.

Damascus has not seen much violence in Syria’s decade-long civil war, Ms. Shahla said, which has given some of its residents a sense of stability. “If there is going to be any change it is not going to be easy.”

But reports suggest change is already underway in the city’s suburbs as rebel fighters led by the opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) make sweeping territorial gains in the country’s north.

An unnamed US official told the BBC’s US affiliate CBS News that it appeared that Damascus was “becoming suburb by suburb to the rebels”. The rebels themselves claim to have “besieged” the city.

Video footage shows protesters tearing down a statue of Hafez al-Assad, the late father of President Bashar al-Assad, in the southern suburb of Jarmana.

Syria’s state news agency claimed that “sleeper cells” were publishing clips from public areas of Damascus on social media to suggest that they had taken control of them “with the aim of spreading chaos among civilians”. .

Meanwhile, the Syrian government denied rumors that Assad had fled the city.

Additionally, the interior minister said there was a “very strong” military cordon around the capital.

But government forces have failed to provide any such security in cities, towns and villages that are held by rebel groups.

Rebel forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have made rapid progress after launching a surprise offensive over the past fortnight, taking control of Aleppo before moving south and capturing some strategically important parts of the city. and captured the northwestern cities of Hama. Homs city.

Their advances have sparked a rebellion by allied rebels in the southern region of Daraa, who have taken control of parts of the area.

The United Nations has said it is withdrawing “non-critical” staff from Syria amid the evolving situation. HTS has pledged to protect international organizations operating in the country.

The UN envoy to Syria has called for “urgent political dialogue” to achieve an orderly transition of power, as well as implementing a Security Council resolution that calls for a negotiated transition between the Syrian government and opposition.

Speaking in Doha on Saturday, Geir Pedersen said representatives of Iran, Russia, Turkey, the US, France, Britain, Germany and the EU had expressed their support for a diplomatic resolution.

Residents of Damascus have different views about the rebel takeover, Ms. Shahla said, but they are preparing themselves for the possibility of armed conflict on their doorstep.

His family lived there during the Syrian civil war and until now they have not thought about fleeing.

Although they aren’t planning on leaving right now, he said, “If things escalate dramatically or dangerously, maybe we’ll think about it.”

Additional reporting by Jake Lapham