super k Syria's embattled government said Saturday it was setting up a ring of steel around Damascus, state media reported, as rebels on a lightning advance said they were bearing down on the city. "There is a very strong security and military cordon on the far edges of Damascus and its countryside, and no one... can penetrate this defensive line that we, the armed forces, are building," Interior Minister Mohammed al-Rahmoun told state television from the capital. Earlier, President Bashar al-Assad's government denied that the army had withdrawn from areas around Damascus. "Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital," said rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, with the Islamist-led alliance that launched the offensive. The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group which has headed the assault, told fighters to prepare to take Damascus, just over a week into a renewed offensive in the long dormant conflict. "Damascus awaits you," said HTS's Ahmed al-Sharaa on Telegram, using his real name instead of his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. But the defence ministry insisted: "There is no truth to news claiming our armed forces... have withdrawn" from positions near Damascus. AFP has been unable to independently verify some of the information provided by the government and the rebels, as its journalists cannot reach the areas around Damascus where the rebels say they are present. In a Damascus suburb Saturday, witnesses said protesters toppled a statue of Assad's father, the late president Hafez al-Assad. Similar scenes were witnessed in images shared by local media in the southern city of Daraa and in online footage verified by AFP from Hama, north of Damascus. "The rebels entered Hama, it was a great joy for us -- something we had been waiting for since 2011," said resident Maymouna Jawad, of the year Assad's crackdown on democracy protests escalated into civil war. The presidency denied reports that Assad had left Damascus, saying he was "following up on his work and national and constitutional duties from the capital". The HTS leader said in a CNN interview Friday that "the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime". - Fears of 'chaos' - As government forces fall back, a war monitor and Abdel Ghani said rebels were within 20 kilometres of Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces had ceded more key ground, losing control of all of southern Daraa province, cradle of the 2011 uprising. The army said it was "redeploying and repositioning" in Daraa and another southern province, Sweida. The Britain-based Observatory said troops were also evacuating posts in Quneitra, near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Israel's military said Saturday it was helping UN peacekeepers in the Syrian part of the Golan to repel an attack "by armed individuals" bordering the UN-patrolled buffer zone. Jordan has urged its citizens to leave neighbouring Syria "as soon as possible", as have Assad ally Russia and the United States, which both keep troops in Syria. After the HTS-led rebels seized Aleppo and Hama earlier in their offensive, Daraa was taken by local armed groups, the Observatory said. An AFP correspondent in the province saw local fighters guarding public property and civil institutions. In Sweida city, a local fighter told AFP that after government forces had withdrawn "from their positions and headquarters, we are now securing and protecting vital facilities". In the central Homs area, a key stepping stone to Damascus, the Observatory said government forces had brought "large reinforcements" and stopped the rebel advance. Government forces have also pulled out of Deir Ezzor in the east, with Kurdish-led forces saying they had moved in. An Iraqi security source told AFP that Baghdad has allowed in hundreds of Syrian soldiers, who "fled the front lines", through the Al-Qaim border crossing. A second source put the figure at 2,000 troops, including officers. - 'Find peace' - HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda. Proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Western governments, it has sought to soften its image in recent years. The Islamist rebels have sought to reassure minority groups living in areas they now control. "We ask that all sects be reassured... for the era of sectarianism and tyranny has gone away forever," said Abdel Ghani. Since the offensive began last week, at least 826 people, mostly combatants but also including 111 civilians, have been killed, the Observatory said. The United Nations said the violence has displaced 370,000 people. UN special envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen called for "urgent political talks" to implement Security Council Resolution 2254 of 2015, which set out a roadmap for a negotiated settlement. US President-elect Donald Trump, in Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral, posted on his Truth Social platform that the United States should "not get involved". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Friday for a "political solution to the conflict", in a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. After Fidan and his Iranian and Russian counterparts discussed Syria in Qatar on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said they agreed on the initiation of "political dialogue between the Syrian government and legitimate opposition groups". Russia's Sergei Lavrov said it was "inadmissible" to allow a "terrorist group to take control" of Syrian territory. Moscow and Tehran have supported Assad's government and army during the war, as has Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. A source close to Hezbollah said it had sent 2,000 fighters into Syria, to an area near the Lebanese border, "to defend its positions". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government backs some armed groups in northern Syria, said Saturday that Syria "is tired of war, blood and tears". "Our wish is for our neighbour, Syria, to find the peace and tranquility it has been dreaming of for 13 years." By Aya IskandaraniSyracuse and Georgetown meet for the 100th time Saturday when the Orange host the Hoyas in the latest installment of their classic rivalry. As former Big East Conference rivals, Syracuse and Georgetown have staged many memorable contests over the decades with the Orange holding a 54-45 all-time advantage. The teams still meet annually despite the Orange now playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Syracuse has won five of the last seven meetings, including a 12-point triumph in Washington D.C. last December. "It definitely felt like a Big East game," Hoyas coach Ed Cooley said after last season's contest. This time around, Georgetown (7-2) is coming off a 73-60 loss to West Virginia in which the team shot under 38 percent from the floor and committed 14 turnovers. "When the ball has music, when the ball is singing, unbelievable music happens," Cooley said. "The music is the play. The music is body movement and screening an open shot. We didn't have good music today." Thomas Sorber is the team's leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, although the freshman has failed to reach that average in six of the last seven games. Syracuse (5-4), meanwhile, is coming off a 102-85 win over Albany despite the absence of leading scorer J.J. Starling (19.8 points), who is out indefinitely with a hand injury. In his stead, freshman Donnie Freeman supplied 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting despite playing just 23 minutes due to an illness. "Whatever (illness) he has, he needs to keep that, if he can keep playing like, whatever he was feeling," Orange coach Adrian Autry joked. Syracuse will be looking for more success from 3-point range after hitting 6-of-15 (40 percent) against Albany. In their previous game -- a five-point loss to Notre Dame -- the Orange failed to make a 3-pointer for the first time in more than a decade. No Syracuse player has made more than 11 3-pointers this season -- and even that player (Chris Bell) is only shooting 25 percent from long distance. --Field Level Media

The Iowa Hawkeyes appear to be without their top defensive back after a report surfaced on Friday that Jermari Harris has opted out of the remainder of the season to prepare for the 2025 NFL draft. According to 247Sports' David Eickholt , Harris' time with the Hawkeyes has come to an early end. The sixth-year senior seemingly believes that he has put enough on tape to move on to the next level without finishing out the season. Iowa (6-4) is bowl-eligible ahead of a pair of Big Ten matchups. Kirk Ferentz's Hawkeyes will visit Maryland (4-6) on Saturday before playing Nebraska (5-5) in the season finale at home. They will do so without Harris, who has become a valued talent and leader in Iowa's secondary. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images A former three-star out of Lombard, Illinois, Harris played sparingly throughout his first two seasons. After a commendable 2021 campaign, Harris' career was haulted by a season-ending injury. As he attempted to make a comeback, Harris was suspended for two games in 2023 for being involved with a gambling scandal, an investigation into Iowa Athletics showed. After being awarded a sixth season of eligibility, Harris made the most of the 2024 season, as he leads the Hawkeyes in pass breakups (7) and interceptions (3) with 27 tackles. Harris ends his career with 105 total stops and eight interceptions. Iowa-Maryland is slated for noon ET (Big Ten Network). The Hawkeyes are listed as 3.5-point favorites, per ESPN BET .Mechanical Connectors Market to Grow by USD 4.77 Billion (2024-2028), Driven by Rising Demand in Automotive Industry, AI Transforming the Market Landscape - Technavio

The Israel Defense Forces hit military targets in Syria after the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in a move to prevent military capabilities from falling into the hands of extremist groups. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he wants to establish "relations" with the new regime in Syria after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, but he warned Israel will not hesitate to attack the Middle Eastern nation should it pose a threat. "We want relations with the new regime in Syria," Netanyahu said in a live address. "But if this regime allows Iran to return to establishing itself in Syria or allows the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah or [if it] attack[s] us, we will respond strongly. And we will exact a heavy price. "What happened to the previous regime will also happen to this regime." People pick up metal and unexploded ammunition from the site of the previous evening's Israeli airstrike that targeted shipments of weapons that belonged to Syrian government forces in Qamishli in mainly Kurdish northeastern Syria Dec. 10, 2024. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images) ISRAEL DEPLOYS PARATROOPERS TO SYRIA IN 'DEFENSE ACTIVITIES' AFTER FALL OF ASSAD It remains unclear who exactly will take over the leadership of Syria or what that government will look like now that rebel forces control Damascus. Overnight on Monday, Israel launched massive strikes against Syrian military targets, including two Syrian naval sites, the Al-Bayda port and the Latakia port, where 15 Syrian naval vessels were docked, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Tuesday afternoon. "Manned aircraft flew hundreds of hours over Syrian airspace, conducting over 350 aerial strikes together with fighter jets," the IDF reported. Israel said a "wide range of targets were struck" including anti-aircraft batteries, Syrian Air Force airfields and dozens of weapons depot sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyr that housed sophisticated weaponry like ballistic and cruise missiles, UAVs, fighter jets, attack helicopters and tanks. A man walks past a burnt vehicle with destroyed ammunition at the site of the previous evening's Israeli airstrike that targeted shipments of weapons that belonged to Syrian government forces in Qamishli in mainly Kurdish northeastern Syria Dec. 10, 2024. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images) Netanyahu appeared to claim the strikes were similar to actions taken by Britain during World War II when it bombed a French fleet at the Algerian port of Mers-el-Kébir to prevent the ships from falling into the hands of the Nazis. NETANYAHU HAILS 'HISTORIC' FALL OF BASHAR ASSAD IN SYRIA, CREDITS ISRAELI ATTACKS ON HEZBOLLAH, IRAN It is unclear if any casualties were inflicted in Israel’s overnight strikes, though the United Nations on Tuesday condemned the attacks as well as Israel’s military encroachment beyond the Golan Heights and into a demilitarized buffer zone . "We are continuing to see Israeli movements and bombardments into Syrian territory. This needs to stop," U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said, calling Israel’s developments "troubling." "This is extremely important," he added. "We need to see a stop to the Israeli attacks, and we need to make sure that the conflict in the northeast stops. And we need to make sure that there are no conflicts developing between the different armed groups." Israel received some international criticism after it sent a military contingent this week beyond the Golan Heights, a contested area that Jerusalem seized in 1967 and which is still internationally recognized as a part of Syria, though the U.S. recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the area. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Israeli soldiers operate in a location given as southern Syria in this image from a video obtained by Reuters Dec. 9, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces/Handout via Reuters) "We're against these types of attacks. I think this is a turning point for Syria. It should not be used by its neighbors to encroach on the territory of Syria," U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reportedly said Tuesday. In his address, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s position and said, "We have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Syria, but we clearly have the intention of doing what is necessary to ensure our security." Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.Magic's Franz Wagner sidelined by torn obliqueMohamed Salah’s landmark goal pulls Liverpool clear in Champions League