“We will respond wherever, whenever, however we can to support people in need, including reception centres – food, water, fuel, tents, blankets,” said Tom Fletcher, Emergency Relief Chief and head of the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
The dramatic development in the Syrian capital follows a lightning advance by armed opposition forces, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on 27 November from their stronghold in the country’s northwest into Government-controlled areas.
After sweeping into Syria’s second city, Aleppo, Hama, Homs and now Damascus have fallen in quick succession, despite suggestions that the Security Council-designated terrorist group lacked the means to sustain their stunning gains.
