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Ambush kills 14 interim govt officers, wounds 10
Syrian armed groups agree to disband, merge under defense ministry
China supports Syria in finding plan to rebuild country through inclusive dialogue: FM
DAMASCUS -- Three powerful explosions rocked Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday afternoon, hours after the opposition fighters declared control of the city and the end of President Bashar al-Assad's rule.
China expressed on Sunday the hope that Syria would achieve stability at an early date and urged relevant parties in Syria to take practical measures to ensure the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel in the country.
A foreign ministry spokesperson made the comments in an online statement after it's reported that Syria's anti-government forces have entered Syrian capital Damascus and declared the fall of the Syrian government.
"China is closely following the situation in Syria and hopes that stability will return as soon as possible," the spokesperson said.
The Chinese government has been actively helping Chinese nationals who wish to leave the country to do so in a safe and orderly way, and staying in contact with those still in Syria and offering them advice on how to stay safe, the spokesperson added.
According to the spokesperson, the Chinese embassy is still up and running and carrying out its duty in Syria, and will continue to make every possible assistance to Chinese nationals in need.
DAMASCUS -- The Iranian embassy in central Damascus was stormed by armed militants following the opposition's capture of the Syrian capital, Al-Arabiya TV reported Sunday.
According to the Dubai-based broadcaster, the attackers forced their way into the embassy compound after a series of swift advances by rebel fighters who earlier claimed control of key government facilities in the city.
It remained unclear which faction was responsible for the attack.
The reported incident comes amid fast-paced developments in Damascus, where rebel groups have issued statements declaring the end of President Bashar al-Assad's government.
DAMASCUS - In a stunning development Sunday, opposition forces in Syria took over state television channels to announce what they described as the fall of Damascus and the end of President Bashar al-Assad's government.
A man in military fatigues, flanked by armed fighters, read the statement on air, calling it "Statement No. 1." He claimed that rebel units captured Damascus.
DAMASCUS - Opposition activists said the rebel fighters entered the Syrian capital of Damascus at dawn Sunday, according to the Britain-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The monitor said hundreds of government soldiers were ordered to withdraw from Damascus International Airport, and were seen removing their military uniforms and donning civilian clothing.
Multiple media outlets have reported that Syrian President Bashar Assad has left the country, citing rebel forces. The Syrian presidency said Saturday Assad was still performing his constitutional duties in the capital.
Xinhua reporters in Damascus witnessed intense gunshots reverberating through the streets with heavy traffic caused by cars departing the capital.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali said in a speech published on Facebook shortly after the rebels' claim of entering Damascus that he was ready to "cooperate" with any leadership chosen by the people and urged citizens against vandalizing public facilities.
UNITED NATIONS -- UN humanitarians said on Thursday they are gravely concerned about increased hostilities in northwest Syria.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said local authorities reported tens of thousands of displaced families in Hama, some of whom fled to Homs. Hama is the destination city for people fleeing fighting in and around Idleb and Aleppo. Now, there are reports of heavy fighting in Homs.
OCHA said it had worked in Hama with humanitarian partners before fighting broke out to provide relief, including health support and essential items, to those newly displaced. Some 3,000 families were displaced to Homs.
The office said colleagues and partners continue to provide support to people displaced by the hostilities wherever possible.
David Carden, the deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, led a UN cross-border mission to Idlib to assess the situation, along with other humanitarians from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Department of Safety and Security.
The team visited a reception center in Dana hosting dozens of households newly displaced by the hostilities and spoke with families who fled their homes in western Aleppo, according to OCHA. During the visit, UNHCR and a local partner provided mattresses, blankets, cooking materials and other items.
"People at the reception center urgently need water and sanitation support, as well as heating materials," OCHA said.
Carden and the UN team also visited the Sham Surgical Hospital, which is treating patients wounded by recent attacks. From Nov 27 to Dec 2, the hospital provided life-saving care to more than 200 people.
WHO reported providing medical supplies to the hospital, including trauma kits, while health workers are going without pay due to underfunding.
OCHA said that since the start of the escalation of hostilities last week, more than 30 health facilities in northwest Syria closed, putting immense strain on the remaining functional hospitals.
The World Food Programme (WFP) scaled up operations to assist people affected by the fighting. The agency said it provides ready-to-eat rations and hot meals and has served more than 10,700 people.
OCHA said the hot meals operation is being ramped up with the help of partners. One WFP-supported kitchen began operations in Aleppo on Tuesday, and another is now in Homs.
WFP provides food to displaced people on both sides of the front lines. The agency is working to negotiate safe supply corridors to allow a rapid and substantial response to those in need.
DAMASCUS -- The Syrian army announced Thursday that it has redeployed its forces outside the western-central Syrian city of Hama after fierce battles with rebel groups, confirming that rebels have entered the city following intense attacks from multiple fronts.
"Over the past few days, our armed forces have fought fierce battles to repel and thwart the violent and successive attacks launched by terrorist organizations on the city of Hama from various directions and in large numbers, using all types of military equipment and assisted by infiltration groups," said a statement issued by the Syrian General Command of the Army and Armed Forces.
"In the past hours, with intensified confrontations between our soldiers and the terrorist groups and the rise of martyrs in our ranks, those groups managed to penetrate several fronts in the city and enter it, despite suffering heavy losses," it said.
It added that the Syrian army will "continue to carry out its national duty to reclaim the areas entered by the terrorist organizations".
The Syrian army's withdrawal marks a significant development in the ongoing conflict in Syria, as Hama, the fourth-largest city in Syria, has largely remained under government control throughout the 13-year civil war in the country.
Earlier reports from local media and activists indicated that rebel militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had entered the northeastern neighborhoods of Hama after launching one of the most intense attacks in the area to date.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that the HTS and allied factions advanced from multiple fronts?— north, northeast, and west?— to reach Hama and attack government forces.
The recent escalation in Hama and other regions underscores the intensifying conflict between Syrian government forces and rebel groups, including HTS, which controls parts of northwestern Syria.
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for the protection of civilians and unimpeded access to aid delivery, expressing concern over the impact of the ongoing conflict on the Syrian population.
DAMASCUS -- Fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a rebel militant group, are reported to have entered the northeastern neighborhoods of Hama, a city in west-central Syria, on Thursday, following one of the most intense attacks in the area to date, local radio station Sham FM reported.
DAMASCUS - The Syrian army forces engaged in fierce fighting in the central province of Hama against rebel factions, mainly the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), killing at least 300 militants, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry.
The ministry said that units of the Syrian army deployed along the front lines in northern rural Hama have been battling since morning against armed terrorist organizations affiliated with HTS.
"Our forces are targeting terrorist gatherings in depth and their convoys on all movement axes using artillery, rockets, and joint Syrian-Russian warplanes," the ministry said in a statement.
"These operations have resulted in the elimination of at least 300 militants, including foreign nationals, and the downing and destruction of more than 25 drones," it said, adding that reinforcements have been sent to bolster the front lines and prevent further rebel advances.
Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that HTS and allied factions are advancing from three fronts -- north, northeast, and west -- in an attempt to reach the city of Hama.
"Hama is a battle of attrition; that's why there's a media campaign on social media," Abdulrahman said.
In the morning, the Syrian army forces pushed HTS back 15 kilometers from Hama. "By evening, HTS managed to cut off the Syrian Desert road and introduced their so-called 'Red Bands' elite units on the northern outskirts of Hama," he added.
The fighting in Hama involves advances and retreats by both sides, unlike the battle for Aleppo, he noted.
Meanwhile, in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, life within the government-held city remains normal despite nearby clashes, a day after the Kurdish-led militias attacked government positions and military sites in a bid to storm seven villages in the countryside of Deir al-Zour without succeeding, according to the pro-government Sham FM radio.
In Aleppo, which fell to the rebels on Friday, Sham FM reported ongoing incidents of theft in several homes and neighborhoods by unknown armed individuals, believed to be escaped criminals from Aleppo Central Prison.
"Civil society organizations are urging residents to secure their homes and avoid interaction with these armed groups," the report said.
The city has also experienced intermittent communication disruptions, with partial outages of cellular networks and internet services leading to loss of contact between Aleppo residents and relatives in other provinces.
The recent escalation in Hama and other regions underscores the intensifying conflict between Syrian government forces and rebel groups, including HTS, which controls parts of northwest Syria.
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for the protection of civilians and unimpeded access to aid delivery, expressing concern over the impact of the ongoing conflict on the Syrian population.
