Updated advisory urges Canadians to avoid all travel to Syria, leave if possible

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

An updated travel advisory is warning people to avoid the Middle Eastern country due to what the Canadian government calls “ongoing armed conflict, terrorism, criminality, arbitrary detention, torture and forced disappearance.”

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

Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country on Sunday, bringing to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto control as his country fragmented in a brutal civil war.

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

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

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2024.

With files from The Associated Press