Syrians’ situation appears to be deteriorating further. After rebel groups reported that they had gained control over the city of Daraa, there were also reports of widespread unrest in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Rumors that President Bashar al-Assad had fled Damascus, however, were denied by the Syrian government. There are also reports that thousands of Syrian government troops are fleeing to Iraq.slack of control over Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, was confirmed by the forces of Syria’s ruler on the previous Saturday, as part of a rebel offensive by the group of Hai at Tahrir, Sham (HTS) and the city of Hama, which had been abandoned by Assad’s troops.