The rebel group Organization for the Liberation of the Levant claims to have begun invading the capital of Syria, Damascus, on Saturday, in an attempt to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad, who has been in power for 24 years.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the army abandoned its positions on Saturday morning, which were about 10 kilometers southwest of the capital Damascus. Prior to this, security forces lost control over neighboring regions, such as the province of Daraa in the south of the country.
The intensification of violence includes coordinated attacks by Russian forces supporting the Assad regime. According to the Fars agency, about 300 rebel fighters were killed in recent days in bombings carried out by Russian and Syrian air forces in the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama.
The conflict in Syria involves various international actors, with the destiny of the country being of interest to Russia, the United States, Iran, Turkey, Israel, and the European Union, who closely monitor the hostilities.