Syria
Life is slowly returning to Damascus, the Syrian capital.
The city has just survived a violent attack by the opposing rebels forcing President Bashar Assad to flee to Moscow.
Some businesses were seen resuming operations including bank establishments.
Several private banks opened on Tuesday and employees came to work signaling a resumption of economic activities that were deemed closed indefinitely
“Thank God, banks are open. We were not expecting it to open after the ousting of the old regime and thank God here, Al-Barakah Bank is open. I withdrew money and the situation is normal,” said Anas Jaarah, a resident of Damascus.
Sadi Ahmad, who heads a bank branch in the posh Damascus neighborhood of Abu Rummanneh, said private banks opened on Tuesday and all employees came to work.
Meanwhile, several Israeli airstrikes hit different regions of Syria overnight and Israeli troops seized a border buffer zone.
Israel denied its forces were advancing toward Damascus after they had earlier moved into the buffer zone inside Syria.
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114 million people displaced by war, violence worldwide