Syrian rebels are closing in on Homs

According to information from pro-government media and an opposition military observer cited by the publication, the rebels have already occupied the cities of Rastan and Talbise, carrying out a rapid offensive after the capture of Hama.

The leadership of the HTS announced its intention to capture Homs and then reach the country's capital, Damascus, which is the stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad.

The publication emphasized that Homs is of strategic importance, because it is located at an important transport intersection that connects the northern regions with the Mediterranean provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where there are large concentrations of Assad supporters, as well as Russian naval and air bases.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the four-day offensive has pushed the rebels just 5 km from Homs.

Rami Abdulrahman, head of the center, called the battle for Homs "the mother of all battles", stressing its crucial importance for the final distribution of power in Syria.

The pro-government radio station Sham FM reported that the rebels had entered the occupied cities unimpeded. At the same time, the state news agency SANA quotes the words of an unnamed military official who said that the Syrian and Russian air forces attacked rebel positions in Hama province, inflicting significant losses on them.

According to the report, as a result of the capture of Hama by the rebels, thousands of residents of Homs, who are loyal to the Assad regime, were forced to evacuate in the direction of Damascus and coastal areas.

What is happening now in Syria

In Syria, a large-scale military operation by opposition forces against government troops is underway. The Syrian opposition began an active offensive in the morning of November 27 and after two days of clashes took control of 56 settlements in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib and approached the outskirts of Aleppo.

On November 30, for the first time since 2016, Russian aircraft carried out airstrikes on the city of Aleppo, the center of which the Syrian rebels reached. At the same time, the Russian Federation promised the Assad regime additional military aid.

On November 30, Reuters, citing military sources, reported that Syrian rebels captured the city of Maraat al-Numan in Idlib province, thus taking control of the entire province.

On December 5, Syrian rebels entered the key central city of Hama. The forces of the Assad regime withdrew from the city.