With Syrian rebels making significant advances leading to violence and unrest in the Arab republic, India, late on Friday, issued an advisory urging all its citizens to avoid travelling to Syria.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also asked the Indians in Syria to remain in touch with the embassy, and advised those who can, to “leave by the earliest available commercial flights”.
An emergency helpline number and an email id, too, were provided in the advisory for the Indian nationals to stay in touch with the embassy in Damascus.
Travel advisory for Syria:https://t.co/bOnSP3tS03 pic.twitter.com/zg1AH7n6RB
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) December 6, 2024
Earlier in the day, India had said that it was “closely following the situation in Syria”. "We have taken note of the recent escalation in fighting in the north of Syria. We are closely following the situation. There are about 90 Indian nationals in Syria, including 14 who are working in various UN organisations," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.
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Russia and Jordan, too, have urged their nationals to leave Syria.
Rebel forces have been on the offensive in Syria in a bid to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Former Al-Qaeda affiliate, the Islamist group, which is now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said early on Saturday they had seized Daraa, near Jordan, after striking a deal with army officials to give them safe passage to Damascus.
They have, reportedly, taken control of the strategically important city of Homs, days after capturing Aleppo—the country's largest city—and Hama. If the rebels capture Homs, it would cut Damascus from the coast, which, Reuters reports, is a stronghold of Assad's minority Alawite sect and has Russian naval base and air base.
Reuters also reported that a US-backed alliance led by Syrian Kurdish fighters captured Deir el-Zor, the Assad government's stronghold in east Syria.
A street uprising against Assad in 2011 transformed into a civil war, killing more than 5 lakh people in 13 years, according to the Observatory for Human Rights,. Assad's allies—Russia, Iran and Hezbollah group—had helped him regain control of most of Syria, but with all three engaged in conflicts of their own now—Russia with Ukraine, and Iran and Hezbollah with Israel—the rebel forces have been trying to regain control of Syria.
