Syrian rebel forces encircle Damascus, marking ‘final phase’ of offensive

Rebel forces in Syria reached the suburbs of Damascus on Saturday, marking what the jihadist-backed groups called the “final phase” of their offensive against the government as protesters in the city tore down a statue of President Bashar al-Assad’s father — and President-elect Donald Trump urged the United States not to get involved.

Fighting raged near Homs, a major crossroads connecting Damascus to government strongholds on the coast, since late Friday.

Government forces launched airstrikes on rebels, but the insurgents managed to breach defenses from the north and east of the city.

The advance furthered rebels’ rapid-fire seizure of major cities across southern Syria, which began with the surprise collapse of Aleppo just eight days ago.

“Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital, Damascus,” announced rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, the Times of Israel reported.

“The advance towards the capital continues,” Ghani said.

Insurgent troops closed in on Damascus from the southern and eastern parts of the country as government forces allegedly retreated, war monitors also reported.

“Regime forces pulled out of towns in the southwestern Damascus countryside … which have been seized by local fighters,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the watchdog group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian defense ministry denied that its army withdrew from the capital city and did not immediately comment on the reported breach of Homs.

Syrian state media also denied that Assad, who is fighting to save his 24-year rule, fled the capital as rebels closed in, shooting down what it called “rumors and false news.”

Assad “is following up on his work and national and constitutional duties from the capital,” his office claimed.

Meanwhile, protesters toppled a statue of the late father of Assad in a main square in the Jermana suburb, about six miles from the center of Damascus, and demanded government security offices in the area be evacuated.

Videos posted to social media showed the head of the statue being dragged through the streets.

In just over a week, rebels claim they have captured at least six cities across the country.

Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump urged on Truth Social Saturday, that the United States stay out of the offensive, as opposition fighters were “obviously preparing to make a very big move toward taking out Assad.”

“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & the United States should have nothing to do with it,” Trump wrote. “This is not our fight.”

“Russia, because they are so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years,” he added, also blasting former President Barack Obama for allowing “all hell” to break out there.

The Syrian civil war began 13 years ago as part of the “Arab Spring,” that saw several regimes toppled by popular movements.

The U.S. currently has about 900 forces deployed to Syria to fight ISIS in the region, according to the Department of Defense.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that he and fellow foreign ministers agree there must be an immediate end to “hostilities” in Syria, but Assad has had little support from Russia or allies including Iran and Hezbollah, which is a shell of itself after the Israeli onslaught in Southern Lebanon took out its commander Hazzan Nasrallah, and multiple other high ranking leaders.

Iran, meanwhile, reportedly started evacuating military commanders and other officials from Syria on Friday as Russia and the United States also called on their citizens to leave immediately amid the escalating hostilities

With Post wires