Damascus, Syria

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Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that is leading the recent rebel offensive in Syria, said on Friday (Dec 6) that the goal of the offensive was to overthrow the rule of Syrian President Bashal-al Assad. 

Speaking to CNN, al-Jolani said, "When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this (Assad) regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve that goal."

Also read | Syrian conflict: Rebel factions enter Hama, oust pro-govt forces from key city

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The offensive led by HTS began on November 27. The rebel factions have captured control of Aleppo and Hama. The rebels are now at the gates of Homs, the main central city in Syria that functions as a crossroads connecting the country's most populous regions.

Around 280,000 displaced since Nov 27 offensive

The United Nations (UN) said on Friday that the fighting between rebel factions and Syrian government forces since November 27 has displaced around 280,000 people.

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Addressing a press conference in Geneva, UN's World Food Programme (WFP) official Samer AbdelJaber said, "The figure we have in front of us is 280,000 people since November 27."

"That does not include the figure of people who fled from Lebanon during the recent escalations," added AbdelJaber, who leads emergency coordination at the WFP. 

WFP warned that the fresh mass displacement inside Syria, more than 13 years after the country's civil war erupted, was "adding to years of suffering."

AbdelJaber cautioned that if the situation continued evolving at the current pace, "we're expecting collectively around 1.5 million people that will be displaced and will be requiring our support."

He pointed out that the WFP and other humanitarian agencies were trying to reach communities wherever their needs were, and were working to secure safe routes "so that we can be able to move the aid and the assistance to the communities that are in need."

Statue of Assad's father toppled in Hama 

As rebels took control of Hama, videos circulating on social media showed the statue of President Assad's father Hafez al-Assad being toppled in Hama.

Also watch | World DNA: Syrian rebels capture city of Hama

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Crowds could be seen in Hama, Syria chanting 'God is Great' as the statue was pulled down by anti-government protesters. Hafez al-Assad was the Syrian president from 1971 until he died in 2000. He was succeeded by his son Bashar.

This incident nearly a week after the statue of Bashar's brother Bassel al-Assad was toppled in Aleppo. 

Meanwhile, in the latest updates from the conflict, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would meet his Russian and Iranian counterparts for talks on Syria.

A Turkish foreign ministry source told AFP that the meeting would take place under the Astana process. The process involving Turkey, Russia, and Iran was launched by Kazakhstan in 2017 in a bid to find a political solution to the civil war in Syria. 

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq and non-state actors like Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.