Turkish, US defense chiefs discuss Syria, regional security

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday discussed the latest dramatic developments in Syria and security issues in a phone call, Türkiye's Defense Ministry said on X.

During the call, Guler and Austin also discussed bilateral and regional defense, the ministry added.

The call came just hours after the collapse of Syria's Assad regime after decades in power.

- Road to Syrian regime's collapse

Clashes broke out between Assad regime forces and anti-regime armed groups on Nov. 27 in rural areas west of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.

On Nov. 30, anti-regime groups took control of most of the center of Aleppo from regime forces, and on the same day, they gained control over the entire Idlib province. Last Thursday, after fierce clashes, the groups took the city center of Hama from regime forces.

Anti-regime groups captured some settlements in the strategically important province of Homs, a gateway to the capital Damascus, and started to advance there.

On Friday, armed opposition groups launched an operation in the Daraa province on Syria's border with Jordan and recaptured the city center from the regime forces after clashes.

On Saturday, the entire province of Suwayda in southern Syria also came under the control of opposition groups. On the same day, local opposition groups in Quneitra also took control of the provincial center.

In the province of Homs, which leads to the capital, anti-regime forces took control of the provincial center on Saturday.

Groups advancing against Assad regime forces entered the southern suburbs of Damascus later on Saturday. Regime forces also withdrew from the Defense and Interior ministries and the international airport in Damascus.

As anti-regime armed groups started to dominate the capital, the Assad regime on Sunday morning quickly lost all control of Damascus.

Separately, in Operation Dawn of Freedom launched by the opposition Syrian National Army against the terrorist organization PKK/YPG in rural areas of Aleppo on Dec. 1, the Tel Rifaat district center was liberated from terrorism.