There’s some compelling news coming out of Syria today. It looks like opposition forces have made a significant move, claiming control over Daraa city in the southwest. For those who’ve been following, Daraa’s not just any city— it’s where the whole Syrian uprising kicked off way back in 2011. So, this is a pretty big deal.
Right now, these fighters are squeezing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces from two sides, north and south, in what seems like a concerted effort to make their way toward Damascus. The Syrian Defense Ministry, however, is keeping tight-lipped— they haven’t confirmed or denied whether the rebels have truly seized Daraa.
Late on Friday, the buzzword from the local rebel fighters, who go by the name of Southern Operations Room, is all about securing the whole city and combing through neighbourhoods and government buildings. And yep, there’s video footage making the rounds (geolocated by CNN, no less) showing rebels right outside the administrative building in Daraa.
Now, it’s worth mentioning that these southern rebels aren’t the same as their northern counterparts, who are led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). However, both groups share a common mission: bringing Assad down.
This renewed push has rekindled a civil war that had settled into a lull for a while. It all began back in 2011 when Assad tried to smother peaceful pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring. What followed turned into a giant mess, with regional actors like Saudi Arabia and Iran, alongside big powers like the U.S. and Russia, jumping into the fray. People have dubbed this as a “proxy war.”
The human toll has been devastating. More than 300,000 civilians have lost their lives over the past decade, according to the U.N., and millions more have been driven from their homes.
On top of the Daraa news, rebels down south snagged a key Syria-Jordan border crossing on Friday. This checkpoint, the Nassib border crossing, is quite important. It marks the end of the M5 highway, which starts in Aleppo, goes through the capital, and stretches south. CNN shared some video clips showing armed fighters marching down the road near the border after they managed to take it from government forces.
Meanwhile, in the north, after rebels captured Aleppo last week, they’ve been charging down that same highway. Just this past Thursday, they took control of the city of Hama. Up next on their list? The city of Homs.
Things are moving fast, and as forces on all sides close in on Damascus, Kurdish fighters have also made some maneuvers. They’re based in the northeast of Syria and have carved out a zone of autonomy through years of hard conflict. Right now, they’re saying they’re worried that the rebel offensives could put their autonomy at risk, even though the rebels are supposedly fixated on Assad. There’s a fear that the fighting could spill over and disrupt their regional stability.
It’s a big moment right now in a long-standing conflict that’s shaped so many lives. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for any updates, and as things develop, we’ll bring you the latest from the ground.
