Hours after reports suggested President Bashar Assad had left the country, Syria’s state news agency on Saturday dismissed the rumors and said he remained in Damascus and was actively carrying out his duties.
Reports emerged that Assad had fled with his family as rebels claimed to be reaching the suburbs of Damascus amid their fast-moving offensive that has captured some of Syria’s biggest cities.
According to a report by AFP“Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital Damascus,” said rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, representing the coalition leading the offensive.
Addressing rebel fighters in a telegram, HTS leader Ahmed al-Shara, known by his real name rather than his alias Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said, “Damascus is waiting for you.”
Despite these claims, the Syrian Defense Ministry denied reports that its forces had withdrawn from areas near the capital. “There is no truth in the news claiming that our armed forces present in all areas of the Damascus countryside have withdrawn,” the ministry said.
Earlier, both the war monitor and Abdel Ghani said the rebels had reached within 20 kilometers of Damascus as government forces struggled to counter the momentum of the offensive.