India urges citizens in Syria to 'leave at the earliest' amid escalating tensions

India on Friday issued an advisory urging all its citizens to avoid travelling to Syria in the wake of the violence and unrest in the Middle eastern country.

“In view of the situation prevailing in Syria, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all travel to Syria, until further notification,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in its advisory.

The Ministry also urged the stranded Indians to leave by the earliest available commercial flights.

It further issued an emergency helpline number and email ID for Indian nationals to contact the Indian Embassy in Damascus.

“Indians currently in Syria are requested to remain in touch with the Indian Embassy in Damascus at their emergency helpline number +963 993385973,” the MEA said.

Earlier, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India has taken note of the situation in Syria and South Korea, and the Indian missions in both nations are keeping a close watch on the situation, considering the safety of Indian nationals there.

The MEA has confirmed that nearly 90 Indian nationals reside in Syria, including 14 working with UN organisations.

Jaiswal assured that the Indian mission is maintaining communication with its citizens living in Syria to ensure their safety.

“We are closely following the situation. Our mission remains in close contact with our nationals for their safety and security,” Jaiswal said.

The resurgence of violence by Syrian rebels has reignited the civil war, dormant for years. Rebel forces recently captured Hama and advanced into Homs, threatening to split Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's controlled territories.

Over 300,000 civilians have died in the conflict since its inception in 2011, with millions displaced across the region, according to the UN.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, said the goal of the offensive was to end Assad's rule.

“When we talk about objectives, the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime. It is our right to use all available means to achieve that goal,” Jolani told CNN in an interview.

The rebel alliance is led by HTS, which is rooted in the Syrian branch of AlQaeda but has sought to soften its image in recent years.

The rebels launched their offensive on Wednesday of last week, the same day a ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon in the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Fearing the rebels' advance, tens of thousands of members of Assad's Alawite minority began fleeing Homs on Thursday, residents and the Observatory said.

Homs was the scene of a years-long army siege of rebel-held neighbourhoods and deadly sectarian attacks in the early years of the civil war.