Within the early hours of Sunday morning, Syrian opposition warring parties introduced that they’d captured the capital, Damascus, and that President Bashar al-Assad had fled the rustic.
The bulletins got here hours later the warring parties took a fourth strategic town in a lightning offensive that started on November 27.
In simply 11 days, the 24-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad got here to an finish.
The maps underneath serve a day-by-day assessment of territorial regulate.
Form-up to November 27
Prior to November 27, Syrian opposition forces have been most commonly confined to their stronghold within the northwestern governorate of Idlib, following a ceasefire brokered in March 2020 by way of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The map underneath displays Syria’s territorial regulate sooner than November 27.
At the grassland, 4 major teams have been competing for regulate, together with:
- Syrian authorities forces: The military fought along the Nationwide Defence Forces, a pro-government paramilitary staff, and was once supported by way of Hezbollah, Iran and Russia.
- Syrian Democratic Forces: This Kurdish-dominated, United States-backed staff controls portions of jap Syria.
- HTS and alternative allied insurgent teams: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the most important combating power, was once in regulate of Idlib for years sooner than this offensive.
- Turkish and Turkish-aligned Syrian insurgent forces: The Syrian Nationwide Military is a Turkish-backed insurgent power in northern Syria.
While 1 – November 27
On Wednesday, November 27, only one occasion later a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon got here into impact, Syrian opposition forces, led by way of HTS, introduced an offensive from their bottom within the Idlib governorate in northwestern Syria.
The insurgent staff mentioned their assaults have been in retaliation for contemporary Syrian authorities attacks on towns in Idlib, together with Ariha and Sarmada, which had resulted in numerous civilian casualties in contemporary weeks.
By way of the night time, the gang had seized no less than 19 cities and villages from pro-government forces, together with army websites, as they driven into western Aleppo governorate.
The Syrian regime spoke back by way of shelling rebel-held subjects age the Russian wind power performed wind moves.
While 2 – November 28
By way of Thursday, the rebels had captured extra area and expelled authorities forces from villages in jap Idlib, nearest started pushing in opposition to the M5 freeway, a strategic highway that leads south to the capital, Damascus, about 300km (186 miles) away.
While 3 – November 29
By way of Friday, insurgent forces had entered portions of Aleppo town later detonating two automobile bombs and tasty authorities forces at the town’s western edge, consistent with a Syrian conflict track and warring parties. Syrian shape tv mentioned Russia was once offering Syria’s army with wind backup.
While 4 – November 30
By way of Saturday, pictures and movies started circulating on-line appearing insurgent warring parties taking pictures after to the traditional Fort of Aleppo as they complicated in the course of the town.
Nearest taking pictures Aleppo, the rebels complicated south, in opposition to Hama.
While 5 – December 1
By way of Sunday, Syrian and Russian jets intensified their wind assaults in Idlib town and positions in Aleppo as authorities forces attempted to gradual the progress of opposition warring parties.
In his first crowd feedback for the reason that get started of the offensive, President al-Assad mentioned his forces would proceed to guard the federal government’s “stability and territorial integrity against terrorists and their supporters”.
While 6 – December 2
Fierce battles endured within the outskirts of Hama as Syrian opposition warring parties complicated to the strategic central town – Syria’s fourth greatest.
Because the website online of probably the most brutal politically ambitious bloodbath in Syria’s contemporary historical past, the town additionally held symbolic significance.
While 7 – December 3
The Syrian authorities mentioned its counteroffensive had driven again opposition warring parties making an attempt to progress into Hama. By contrast, opposition forces mentioned they captured extra Syrian troops and Iran-backed warring parties in fierce battles.
While 8 – December 4
Opposition warring parties endured to push additional south as they captured extra cities within the Hama governorate.
A regime wind crash killed Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli, who was once operating for German information company dpa, alike the town of Hama. Alkharboutli, 32, had lengthy documented Syria’s 13-year conflict.
While 9 -December 5
By way of Thursday, the rebels introduced they’d complete regulate of Hama. Seizing the town introduced them one step nearer to severing the coastal towns of Tartous and Latakia from the residue of the rustic.
Latakia is a key political stronghold for al-Assad and Syria’s Alawite society, in addition to a strategic Russian naval bottom.
While 10 -December 6
The seize of Hama cleared the path to Homs, Syria’s third-largest town.
Homs, a key crossroads town linking Damascus to Syria’s coastal subjects, lies roughly 46km (29 miles) south of Hama.
Al Jazeera’s Omar al-Hajj mentioned Syrian authorities forces had performed a number of wind moves at the major highway in an try to ban the opposition’s progress.
While 11 – December 7
On Saturday, southern forces began shifting and Deraa-based opposition warring parties mentioned they seized regulate of the town, the fourth strategic loss for President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in a year. Deraa, which lies only some kilometres from the border with neighbouring Jordan, is referred to as the cradle of the 2011 revolution.
The similar occasion, insurgent warring parties got here inside kilometres of the capital, Damascus. By way of the night time, they’d reached its suburbs, and within the early hours of the morning on December 8, warring parties captured the capital.
