The U.S. the Embassy in Syria issued an urgent warning on Saturday encouraging citizens to evacuate amid escalating conflict in the region.
Syrian insurgents reached a suburban city of Damascus as opposition fighters have taken over some of the largest cities in the country in recent days, as reported by the Associated Press.
“The security situation in Syria continues to be volatile and unpredictable with active clashes between armed groups throughout the country,” the embassy wrote in a security alert earlier Saturday. “The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to depart Syria now while commercial options remain available in Damascus.”
The Aleppo International Airport remains closed while cities including Idlib, Hama, Manbij and Daraa have been captured by rebel forces. Earlier Saturday, insurgents entered the key city of Homs, per Reuters.
Syrian opposition forces, backed by Turkey, launched a shock offensive late last month in an effort to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, whose regime is backed by Russia and Iran.
Since then, rebels have pushed out Syrian armed forces in dozens of villages and cities as tensions continue to rise.
