Damascus, Syria - December 06, 2024 The United Nations has begun urgent evacuations from the Syrian capital Damascus as fighting between the Syrian government forces and opposition groups intensifies. Opposition forces entered Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, on Thursday, further encroaching on the capital. By Friday, Damascus was facing the threat of encirclement, with heavy clashes erupting in both northern Homs Province and southern province of Daraa. China Media Group (CMG) reporter Wang Weiwei on Friday witnessed the urgent evacuation of UN personnel from their shared hotel in Damascus. On Friday evening, the Syrian-Jordanian border closed, and all but one crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border ports were shut down. However, at a nearby supermarket, despite the deserted streets, people were standing in lines to purchase goods. The supermarket shelves remained well-stocked, and the customers showed no signs of panic, steeling themselves for the potential onslaught of battle that could soon reach the capital. Shotlist: Damascus, Syria - Dec 6, 2024: 1. Aerial shots of cityscape; 2. Empty streets seen from moving vehicle; 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Weiwei, China Media Group reporter (starting with shot 2/ending with shot 4): "Just now, I bumped into many UN personnel leaving as I was walking out of the hotel. Almost every UN agency is evacuating at this moment, leaving behind a few workers to stay on. As I brought in my bulletproof vest against the evacuating people flow, they wished me safe and cautioned me to take care."; 4. Amateur footage showing bulletproof vest, hotel corridor; 5. People shopping at supermarket; 6. Empty street views seen from moving vehicle. [Restriction - No Access Chinese Mainland/Orient TV/Syria Alshaab TV/Zanoubia TV/Alhurra TV/ANN TV/Al Jazeera/ Al-Arabiya TV]