The updated advice encourages Canadians to avoid all travel to Syria, and travel if possible – nationally

Ottawa is urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Syria and consider leaving the country if it is safe to do so.

The updated travel advisory warns people to avoid the Middle Eastern country because of what the Canadian government calls “persistent armed conflicts, terrorism, crime, arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances.”

The update comes after opposition forces stormed the Syrian capital, Damascus, ending a century of rule by the Assad government.

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Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country on Sunday, dramatically ending his nearly 14-year struggle for power as his country unravels in a brutal civil war.

Canada has urged its citizens to leave Syria since November 2011, and its embassy in Damascus suspended operations in 2012.

Ottawa describes the security situation as volatile, and says the Damascus and Aleppo airports and other border crossings are closed.

This Canadian Press report was first published on December 8, 2024.

– Via files from the Associated Press