Leave Syria Immediately Or Observe Utmost Caution: MEA To Indian Nationals Amid Islamist Rebels' Offensive Against Assad

Amid escalating turmoil in Syria, the Modi government issued a late-night advisory urging Indian national to "avoid all travel to Syria until further notice."

In its statement, the Ministry of External Affairs shared an emergency helpline and email ID, and requested Indians in Syria to stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Damascus.

The advisory also stated those who could leave Syria to do so "by the earliest available commercial flights."

For others, it recommended taking "utmost precaution" and restricting movements for safety.

The shared emergency helpline number for the Indian Embassy in Damascus is +963 993385973, which is also available on WhatsApp.

An emergency email ID, hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in, was also shared, with assurances that updates would follow upon contact with embassy staff.

Syria is grappling with intense political unrest as the Russia and Iran-supported Bashar al-Assad regime faces encirclement by Turkey-backed Islamist rebel groups and militias.

Over the past week, rebel forces have launched a rapid offensive to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

According to a war monitor cited by news agency AFP, Islamist-led rebels have reached the outskirts of Syria’s Homs.

Many other cities have slipped out of government control, some without resistance.

The Islamist rebels' swift offensive has led to the fall of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, and the strategically important Hama from Assad’s control.

This marks the first such loss since the civil war began in 2011.

Bashar al-Assad's clan has ruled Syria for the past five decades, but for the first time ever, it has looked truly vulnerable to a total collapse.

A rebel capture of Homs would sever Damascus, the capital, from the vital Mediterranean coastal stronghold.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that by Friday morning, Islamist rebels had advanced to within five kilometres of Homs.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel alliance, declared that the offensive’s primary objective is to topple Bashar al-Assad and end his regime.

"When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve that goal," Jolani told CNN in an interview.

The Islamist rebel alliance conducting the offensive that began on 27 November is led by HTS, which stems from the Syrian branch of the Al Qaeda, but has sought to moderate its image in recent times.

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