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“Due to the prevailing situation in Syria, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all travel to Syria, until further notice,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the advisory.
Syrian Kurds, who fled their homes on the outskirts of the northern city of Aleppo after they were taken over by Muslim-led rebels, brought their belongings to Tabaqah, on the western outskirts of Raqa. (Photo: AFP)
India on Friday issued an advisory urging all citizens to avoid traveling to Syria in the wake of violence and unrest in the country.
“Due to the prevailing situation in Syria, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all travel to Syria, until further notice,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in the advisory.
New Delhi also asked Indian citizens in Syria to be careful, stay near shelters. The department also urged the stranded Indians to travel by the first available flights.
It has also issued an emergency helpline number, an email id so that the people of India can keep in touch with the Indian Embassy in Damascus.
“Indians currently in Syria are requested to contact the Indian Embassy in Damascus on their emergency number +963 993385973 (also on WhatsApp) and email ID hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in for updates,” the advisory said.
Earlier on Friday, India said it was closely monitoring the situation in the Arab Republic.
“We have taken note of the recent escalation of fighting in northern Syria. We are following the situation closely. There are about 90 Indian nationals in Syria, including 14 working in various UN agencies,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
“Our work remains close to our people for their safety and security,” he added.
#WATCH | Delhi | On recent developments in Syria, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, “We have taken note of the recent escalation of hostilities in northern Syria. We are closely monitoring the situation. There are around 90 Indian nationals in Syria, including… pic.twitter.com/uRW2JhoAeu— ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2024
Chaos has intensified in Syria after the Islamic group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) launched an attack on President Bashar Al-Assad and his Army last week. In the past week, government forces have repeatedly retreated in the face of surprise attacks by opposition groups, turning the tables on the long-running massacre in Syria’s nearly 14-year-old civil war.
On Thursday, the Syrian Army admitted that it failed to control Hama for the first time since the civil war in the country that was at war in 2011. managed to break a lot of axes in the city and entered it,” said the statement.
Meanwhile, thousands of people fled the center of the Syrian city of Homs, the country’s third largest, as rebels seized two towns on the outskirts on Friday.
The battle around Hama follows a lightning strike by Islamist-led rebels who in a few days took most of the territory from President Bashar al-Assad. Last week, rebels seized Aleppo, Syria’s second city, where Assad’s government ruled after a Russian-backed victory in 2016.
Rebel forces reached the gates of the city of Hama on Tuesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, and the fighting sparked a wave of displacement. Government forces launched an attack, but rebels stormed Hama from several sides and fought street battles with the Army, according to the Observatory.
The rebels, seeking to take advantage of a weak government preoccupied with other conflicts, want to liberate the occupied territories and increase attacks on government forces and pro-Iranian forces.
In response, the Russian and Syrian air forces launched attacks on rebels in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Russian warplanes have also struck rural areas in Idlib and Hama where the rebel group has “recently taken control”.