Syrian government forces have recaptured the southern city of Deraa, the cradle of the revolution, in a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad.
Sources in Deraa told Reuters that a Russian military delegation had also entered the city yesterday and begun negotiations for its handover to state rule.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The city has both “strategic and symbolic importance” to the government and rebels, the BBC reports.
It is a provincial capital - close to the main crossings on the Jordanian border – and is also where the Syrian uprising against Assad’s regime began in March 2011, the broadcaster says.
Inspired by the so-called Arab Spring uprisings in neighbouring countries, thousands of Syrians took to the streets seven years ago to demand democratic reform and the release of political prisoners. Demonstrations were met with deadly force by the authorities and the unrest quickly spread.
The victory marks another milestone in Assad's efforts to retake control of the country, Al Jazeera reports.
“With critical help from Russia and Iran, Assad has now recovered most of Syria,” the broadcaster says.
However, Anti-Assad rebels still control much of the northwest and the northeast, and a large chunk of the east is controlled by Kurdish-led groups, it adds.
Abu Shaima, an opposition spokesman for Deraa, said the rebels had been betrayed by the US and competing Gulf states.
“It is our fault — we trusted these countries, and we should have known that countries act according to their own interests,” he told The Times.
“[We] are asking why people elsewhere can benefit from their revolutions,” he added. “Everyone except the Syrians.”
-
The week's best photosIn Pictures A silver-painted boy, a raging flood, and more
-
Roblox, one of the world's most popular video games, has become a bastion of hate speechThe Explainer The platform has over 111 million daily users
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU officesSpeed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Rubio says US brokered end to Syria conflictSpeed Read Syria's defense ministry was targeted in Israeli attacks on the capital
-
Syria's returning refugeesThe Explainer Thousands of Syrian refugees are going back to their homeland but conditions there remain extremely challenging
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
