India issues travel advisory for Syria, advises citizens to restrict movements

The Indian government on Friday issued a travel advisory for Syria, strongly advising Indian nationals to avoid all travel to the country until further notice.

This warning comes in light of the situation prevailing in Syria, which poses significant risks to travellers.

“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 said in a press release.

Indians currently in Syria are requested to remain in touch with Indian Embassy in Damascus at their emergency helpline number (also on WhatsApp) and email ID hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in for updates. Those who can, are advised to leave by the earliest available commercial flights and others are requested to observe utmost precaution about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum, the MEA release added.

Notably, India took note of the violent escalation in Syria, keeping in mind the safety of Indian nationals there, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted that there are around 90 Indian nationals in Syria, including 14 working in various UN organisations.”We have taken note of the recent escalation in fighting in the north of Syria. We are closely following the situation. There are about 90 Indian nationals in Syria, including 14 who are working in various UN organizations. Our Mission remains in close contact with our nationals for their safety and security,” Jaiswal said in a press briefing on Friday.

The violent offensive by Syrian rebels has reawakened a civil war that had been largely dormant for years, according to CNN.

Notably, since 2020, front lines have largely remained unchanged, with rebel groups confined mainly to a small part of Idlib province.

Hundreds of people appear to have fled the central Syrian city of Homs overnight into Friday, as anti-regime rebels push further south on the road to the capital Damascus, CNN reported.

After capturing the city of Hama to the north on Thursday, the rebels set their sights on the crossroads city of Homs which, if captured, would split the territories under the control of President Bashar al-Assad in two.

The conflict began in 2011, after Assad moved to stamp out peaceful pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring. Over 3,00,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the United Nations, with millions more displaced across the region, according to CNN.