'We really don't know what's going to happen': Uncertainty grips Damascus

The streets of Damascus are uncharacteristically bare connected Saturday night, Zaina Shahla, a 42-year-old writer surviving successful the centre of the Syrian capital, tells the BBC.

After a "normal" morning, she said the streets were filled with radical trying to banal up connected supplies arsenic reports emerged of rebel fighters heading for the metropolis from some northbound and south.

Now, everyone seems to person gone location - the uncertainty of the concern creating a "sense of fear" among residents.

"We are acrophobic due to the fact that we truly don't cognize what's going to happen," Ms Shahla said. "Nobody wants to spot warring successful Damascus."

She added: "Everything is ambiguous and thing is wide for anyone."

Her sentiments are echoed by Rim Turkmani, manager of the Syria Conflict Research Programme astatine the London School of Economics.

Her sister successful Damascus told her that shops are closing, supplies are moving debased and ATMs are retired of cash, she said.

"No 1 knows what's happening," Ms Turkmani told the BBC.

Damascus has not seen the aforesaid grade of unit successful Syria's decade-long civilian war, creating a consciousness of stableness among immoderate of its residents, Ms Shahla said. "If immoderate alteration is going to happen, it won't beryllium easy."

But reports suggest a turning tide is already sweeping done the city's suburbs arsenic rebel fighters led by absorption radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) marque sweeping territorial gains from the northbound of the country.

An unnamed US authoritative told the BBC's US partner, CBS News, that Damascus appears to beryllium "falling suburb by suburb to the rebels". The rebels themselves assertion to person "encircled" the city.

Video footage appeared to amusement a statue of President Bashar al-Assad's precocious father, Hafez al-Assad, being torn down by protesters successful the confederate suburb of Jaramana.

Syria's authorities quality bureau claimed "sleeper cells" were publishing clips connected societal media from nationalist areas of Damascus to suggest they had taken power of them "with the purpose of spreading chaos among citizens".

The Syrian authorities meantime denied rumours that Assad had fled the city.

Moreover, the interior curate has said determination was a "very strong" subject cordon astir the capital.

But authorities forces person notably failed to supply immoderate specified defence successful the cities, towns and villages that person fallen to rebel factions.

Rebel forces led by the Islamist radical Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) person made a lightning beforehand implicit the past fortnight aft launching a astonishment offensive, capturing the north-western cities of Aleppo and Hama earlier continuing southbound and entering parts of the strategically important metropolis of Homs.

Their advancement has sparked an uprising by allied rebels successful the confederate portion of Daraa, who person taken power of parts of the region.

The UN has said it is withdrawing "non-critical" unit from Syria amid the evolving situation. HTS has pledged to support planetary organisations operating successful the country.

The UN envoy to Syria has called for an orderly modulation of power, arsenic good arsenic "urgent governmental talks" to instrumentality a Security Council solution that seeks a negotiated modulation betwixt the Syrian authorities and opposition.

Speaking successful Doha connected Saturday, Geir Pedersen said representatives of Iran, Russia, Turkey, the US, France, the UK, Germany and the EU had expressed their enactment for a diplomatic resolution.

Damascus's residents person differing views astir a rebel takeover, Ms Shahla said, but are bracing themselves for the anticipation of equipped struggle connected their doorstep.

Her household person remained passim Syria's civilian war, and person not considered fleeing - until now.

While they are not readying connected leaving yet, she said, "if things escalate successful a melodramatic mode oregon a unsafe way, possibly we volition deliberation astir it".

Additional reporting by Jake Lapham