Russia advises citizens to leave Syria, SDF wants to dialogue with HTS, Turkiye

The Russian Embassy in Damascus advised its citizens in Syria on Friday to leave the country in light of the escalation of fighting after the opposition factions reached the city of Homs.

In a statement reported by the TASS Russian News Agency on Telegram, the Embassy confirmed that it reminded its citizens of the possibility of leaving Syria on commercial flights: “Due to the difficult military and political situation. The Embassy and the Consular Section continue to operate as usual.”

On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Damascus advised its citizens to leave Syrian territory as soon as possible, stressing the need to: “Take advantage of the fact that commercial flights are still in operation to return home or leave the country as soon as possible.”

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In another context, the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, on Friday stressed his willingness to have a dialogue with Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) after the Syrian opposition factions advanced into Homs following fierce battles with the regime, considering that their advance imposed a “new political reality” in the country.

Abdi told reporters in the city of Hasakah in northeastern Syria: “We want to de-escalate tensions with Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and other parties and solve our problems through dialogue, including with Turkiye. We were surprised to see the sudden and rapid collapse of Syrian government forces on the frontlines as factions took control of large areas, imposing a new political and military reality.”

This comes after the opposition factions announced their entry into the Homs countryside and their control of the strategic city of Al-Rastan, the town of Talbiseh and the villages of Al-Zaafaranah and Deir Foul, north of the city.

On Thursday, the Syrian opposition factions announced that their fighters had entered the city of Hama after violent battles with regime forces and pro-regime Iranian militias as part of Operation Deterrence of Aggression.

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