Syria presidency denies reports Assad has left Damascus

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is continuing to perform his duties from Damascus, his office said on Saturday, denying reports he had left as rebels advance towards the capital.

It condemned "rumours and false news about President Bashar al-Assad leaving Damascus,", adding that Assad "is following up on his work and national and constitutional duties from the capital".

After years locked behind frozen front lines, rebel forces have burst out of their northwestern Idlib bastion to achieve the swiftest battlefield advance by either side since a street uprising against Assad mushroomed into civil war 13 years ago.

Earlier, Syrian rebels said they seized control of the southern city of Daraa on Saturday, the birthplace of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and the fourth city his forces have lost in a week.

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