Are rebels taking over?

Gunfire outside Assad’s palace in Damascus

Rebel groups are currently engaged in fierce battles with Assad's troops in Syria.

(Bild: krone.tv)

Islamists are currently on the advance in Syria. Dictator Bashar al-Assad is under increasing pressure. The jihadists have already decided who should take over power in the country instead of him ...

Islamists have been advancing against the long-term ruler Assad in Syria for ten days now. Within a few hours, he has lost control of the central Syrian city of Hama and around a dozen other cities in the region. According to eyewitnesses, his army withdrew completely from several areas.

On Friday evening, there was talk that there may have been gunfire and explosions in Damascus. These were said to have occurred in an affluent northern district of all places, where Assad has his palace. According to information from "Krone", this has not yet been confirmed.

Here you can see a tweet on the current situation in Damascus.

Jihadists are currently taking over one town after another in Syria. They are led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, an offshoot of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, which says it wants to overthrow the regime. The surprise attack began on November 27. The offensive under the name "Clear Victory" is said to have been planned long in advance.

You can see footage here.

Civil war shattered country
The Syrian civil war began back in 2011 after the Assad regime violently suppressed democratic demonstrators. The country is shattered and the situation is complex. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), for example, are also involved in the war. On Friday, it was reported that they had taken control of a strategically important city in eastern Syria. Government troops had previously withdrawn.

Rebel groups

(Bild: krone.tv)

Jihadists with tanks

(Bild: AFP/Omar Haj Kadour)

Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad

(Bild: APA/AP)

The radical Islamic militia Islamic State (IS) is also likely to regain influence. "Due to the latest developments, there are increased movements of 'Islamic State' mercenaries in the Syrian desert, in the south and west of Deir Al-Zor and around Al-Raqqa," said the head of the US-backed Syrian Kurds.

Thousands on the run
Thousands of people have so far fled the city of Homs alone. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, their destination is the coastal region, which is considered an Assad stronghold. Hundreds of thousands of people have died since the beginning of the civil war and several million have been displaced.

Jolani wants to establish a new system
At the head of the rebel alliance is the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. He presents himself as a moderate and observers see him as a supposed "security guarantor". Jolani has had more responsibility since 2011 and led a former al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria, among other things. He later broke with both the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, which are now rivals.

"The man is very interested in ruling," said Orwa Ajjoub, an analyst living in Sweden. According to his own statements, Jolani is planning a system of government based on institutions. "We are not talking about the rule of individuals or personal whims."