Syria’s Assad Is Under Siege and Is Making Overtures to US
- President orders troops to capital, signals he’s open to deal
- Rebels seize ground with Assad’s Iran, Russia support limited
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With Syrian rebels edging ever-closer to the capital, President Bashar Al-Assad is making a last-ditch attempt to remain in power, including indirect diplomatic overtures to the US and President-elect Donald Trump, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation.
Assad is ordering his army to fall back to defend Damascus, essentially ceding much of the country to insurgents, who seized the major cities of Aleppo and Hama in a lightning offensive over the past week. The rebels have entered Homs, a war monitor said, the last major city before Damascus.