In a sign of likely more bad things to come for Assad forces, Syria’s closest powerful ally Russia has ordered all of its civilian nationals to leave the country as the al-Qaeda linked group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues its shock offensive, making its way south from captured Aleppo area to Hama and Homs into the heart of the country.
“Russia on Friday urged its citizens to leave Syria, as rebel forces in the country press a lightning offensive against Moscow-ally Bashar al-Assad’s government,” AFP confirms.
The Russian embassy in Damascus issued an alert telling citizens “to leave the country on commercial flights through airports in operation” while underscoring “difficult military and political situation” in Syria.
China already on Thursday had issued an alert for all of its citizens to depart the country. The Chinese Embassy in Damascus told its nationals to depart “as soon as possible” at a moment the Syrian Army has been seen withdrawing from both Hama and Homs.
“At present, the war in northwestern Syria is growing tense, and the security situation in Syria is further deteriorating,” Beijing’s embassy said.
“The embassy in Syria suggests that Chinese citizens in Syria take advantage of the fact that commercial flights are still in operation to return home or leave the country as soon as possible,” it warned.
While China does not have a huge amount of citizens in Syria, Russia has long maintained deep ties to the country. There’s even a large apartment building in Damascus known to house Russian engineers and their families, which goes back decades.
Russia’s military presence in Syria is not expected to change, however. Its forces have deployed since 2015 in defense of the Assad government. Russian warplanes have been flying alongside Syrian jets, pounding insurgent positions.
Hellbound and Down 