'Leave At The Earliest': India Issues Travel Advisory Amid Rebel Offensive In Syria

Last Updated:December 07, 2024, 07:21 IST

“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 (MEA) said in the advisory.

Syrian Kurds, fleeing their homes in the outskirts of the northern city of Aleppo after they were seized by Islamist-led rebels, arrive with their belongings to Tabaqah, on the western outskirts of Raqa. (IMAGE: AFP)

India on Friday issued an advisory urging all citizens to avoid travelling to Syria in the wake of the violence and unrest in the country.

“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 (MEA) said in the advisory.

New Delhi further asked the citizens of India in Syria to exercise caution, and stay close to safety shelters. The ministry also urged the stranded Indians to leave by the earliest available commercial flights.

It further issued an emergency helpline number, email id for the Indian nationals to stay in touch with Indian Embassy in Damascus.

“Indians currently in Syria are requested to remain in touch with Indian Embassy in Damascus at their emergency helpline number +963 993385973 (also on WhatsApp) and email ID hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in for updates," the advisory said.

Earlier on Friday, India said that it is closely following the situation in the Arab republic.

“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 organisations," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

“Our mission remains in close contact with our nationals for their safety and security," he added.

The tensions escalated in Syria after Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive against President Bashar Al-Assad and his Army last week. For the past week, government troops have repeatedly fallen back in the face of the sudden opposition offensive, which flipped the tables on a long-entrenched stalemate in Syria’s nearly 14-year-old civil war.

The Syrian Army on Thursday acknowledged that it had lost control of Hama for the first time since a civil war gripped the embattled country in 2011. “Over the past few hours, with the intensification of confrontations between our soldiers and terrorist groups… these groups were able to breach a number of axes in the city and entered it," it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, thousands of people fled the central Syrian city of Homs, the country’s third largest, as insurgents seized two towns on the outskirts Friday.

The fighting around Hama follows a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels who in a matter of days wrested swathes of territory from President Bashar al-Assad’s grasp. Last week, the rebels seized Aleppo, Syria’s second city, where Assad’s government had ruled after a Russia-aided victory in 2016.

Rebel forces reached the gates of Hama city on Tuesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, and the fighting sparked a wave of displacement. Government forces launched a counterattack, but the rebels stormed Hama from several sides and engaged in street battles with the Army, according to the Observatory.

The rebels, who are seeking to capitalize on the weak government who is preoccupied with other conflicts, want to liberate occupied territories and have increased attacks against government forces and pro-Iranian militias.

In response, the Russian and Syrian air forces launched aerial attacks against rebels in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Russian warplanes also struck rural parts of Idlib and Hama where the rebel group “has recently taken control".

News india 'Leave At The Earliest': India Issues Travel Advisory Amid Rising Tensions In Syria