Smoke billows as people gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Officials of the Indian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus are safe and are in contact with Indians in the conflict-hit country where the government of Bashar Al-Assad fell to a militant uprising on Sunday (December 8, 2024).

“Our embassy continues to remain operational in Damascus, Syria. The embassy is in touch with all Indian nationals, and they are safe. The embassy remains available to assist Indian nationals in Syria,” said a source in the Ministry of External Affairs.

FOLLOW MORE: Syria war LIVE updates: Russia grants asylum to Assad and his family ‘on humanitarian grounds’

Last week, the Ministry had said that India was following the developments in Syria “closely”, saying that around “90 Indian nationals” remain in the country.

Official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said on Friday, “Our Mission remains in close contact with our nationals for their safety and security.” Various UN agencies have 14 Indian nationals employed with them, he had said.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. File photo
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Indian government on Friday (December 6, 2024) issued a travel advisory for Syria, strongly advising Indian nationals to avoid all travel to the country until further notice. This warning comes in light of the situation prevailing in Syria, which poses significant risks to travellers.

“In view of the situation prevailing in Syria, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all travel to Syria, until further notification,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release

Indians currently in Syria are requested to remain in touch with Indian Embassy in Damascus at their emergency helpline number (also on WhatsApp) and email ID hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in for updates. Those who can, are advised to leave by the earliest available commercial flights and others are requested to observe utmost precaution about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum, the MEA release added.

Notably, India took note of the violent escalation in Syria, keeping in mind the safety of Indian nationals there, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted that there are around 90 Indian nationals in Syria, including 14 working in various UN organisations.

“We have taken note of the recent escalation in fighting in the north of Syria. We are closely following the situation. There are about 90 Indian nationals in Syria, including 14 who are working in various UN organizations. Our Mission remains in close contact with our nationals for their safety and security,” Mr. Jaiswal said in a press briefing on Friday.

The violent offensive by Syrian rebels has reawakened a civil war that had been largely dormant for years, according to CNN.

Notably, since 2020, front lines have largely remained unchanged, with rebel groups confined mainly to a small part of Idlib province.

Hundreds of people appear to have fled the central Syrian city of Homs overnight into Friday, as anti-regime rebels push further south on the road to the capital Damascus, CNN reported.

After capturing the city of Hama to the north on Thursday, the rebels set their sights on the crossroads city of Homs which, if captured, would split the territories under the control of President Bashar al-Assad in two.

A Hezbollah fighter stands in front of anti-tank artillery at Juroud Arsal, the Syria-Lebanon border. File photo
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Israeli airstrikes early Friday, March 29, 2024, near the northern city of Aleppo have killed 36 soldiers and six Hezbollah fighters, a war monitor said.

Syrian state media quoted an unnamed military official as saying that the Israeli strikes coincided with drone attacks by Syrian insurgent groups on civilians targets in Aleppo and its suburbs. It did not give an exact numbers for the casualties.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Israeli strikes hit missile depots for Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group in Aleppo’s southern suburb of Jibreen near the Aleppo International Airport. It added that dozens of soldiers were killed or wounded in the strikes.

The Observatory said explosions were still heard two hours after the strikes.

There was no immediate statement from Israeli officials on the strikes. Israel frequently launches strikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria but rarely acknowledges them.

On Thursday, Syrian state media reported airstrikes near the capital Damascus saying it wounded two civilians.

Hezbollah has had an armed presence in Syria since it joined the country’s conflict fighting alongside government forces.

Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and once its commercial centre, has come under such attacks in the past that led to the closure of its international airport. Friday’s strike did not affect the airport.

The strikes have escalated over the past five months against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and ongoing clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on the Lebanon-Israel border.

(Inputs from PTI and AFP)