Syria in turmoil: India issues urgent travel warning as rebels proceed towards Damascus

The Indian government issued a warning to all Indian citizens to "avoid all travel to Syria until further notice" due to the worsening situation in the country.

The Ministry of External Affairs urged all Indians currently in Syria to "remain in touch with the Indian Embassy in Damascus." Also, an emergency helpline number and an email address have been released.

The urgent advisory from New Delhi further stated, "Those who can are advised to leave (Syria) by the earliest available commercial flights."

If unable to do so, "observe utmost precaution about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum."

The Indian Embassy in Damascus' emergency helpline number, also available for WhatsApp, is +963 993385973. Email address is [email protected].

According to the advisory, updates will be provided as soon as the staff is reached.

Syria is experiencing political unrest, with Turkey-backed rebel groups and forces surrounding the Bashar Al-Assad government, which is supported by Russia and Iran.

Over the past week, rebel forces have launched a fierce onslaught throughout Syria with the goal of overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad.

The Islamist rebels' attack has been so fast that President Bashar al-Assad has already lost control of Hama and Syria's second city, Aleppo.

This is the first time it has occurred since the civil war started in 2011.

For the first time in its history, Syria's clan, which has ruled the country for five decades, appears to be in serious danger of collapsing.

If the rebels take Homs, they will cut off the capital city of Damascus, a crucial bastion of Bashar Assad, from the Mediterranean coast.

By Dec 6 morning (local time), the Islamist rebels were less than five kilometers from the edge of Homs, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said that the objective of this attack is to remove Bashar al-Assad from power and put an end to his rule in Syria.

"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," Al-Jolani said.

The attack that started on Nov 27 is being led by HTS, an Islamist rebel alliance that originates from the Syrian faction of Al-Qaeda but has recently attempted to soften its image.

Al-Jolani, often referred to as the 'blue-eyed boy' of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was detained years ago at the notorious US facility in Iraq.

Once released by the US as a lost cause, Al-Jolani has since risen from obscurity and is now a powerful figure in Syria.

The Islamist rebels began their onslaught in Syria on the same day that a ceasefire was imposed in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been a steadfast supporter of the Bashar al-Assad regime together with Russia and Iran.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will meet with his Russian and Iranian counterparts this weekend in Qatar for an urgent debate on the Syrian situation, the country said on Dec 6.

Turkey has offered the rebels its complete assistance.

Russia and China have reportedly been contacted by the political branch of the HTS-led rebel coalition to offer assistance in their "struggle for liberation" from Bashar al-Assad's decades-old Syrian tyranny.

According to reports, they have communicated their desire to formally establish diplomatic relations with both Beijing and Moscow.

On Dec 6, the foreign ministers of Syria, Iraq, and Iran gathered in Baghdad to talk about the situation in Syria.

Although Russia, which has a significant stake in the conflict in Ukraine, has not yet made clear how it views the situation or what its next course of action would be.

Moscow has made suggestions that it may offer the Bashar Assad government some limited assistance in defending itself against the rebels.