Syria: Thousands flee Homs amid rebel advance, regional air strikes
Credit: AP
Thousands of residents fled the central Syrian city of Homs overnight as rebel forces pressed their rapid advance southward, residents and monitors reported on Friday.
This follows the capture of Aleppo in the north and Hama in the center by the rebels, delivering significant setbacks to President Bashar al-Assad nearly 14 years after Syria’s conflict began.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, confirmed mass evacuations from Homs, with many seeking refuge in Syria’s western coastal regions, a government stronghold. Local residents described an influx of displaced people arriving in coastal areas, driven by fears of the rebels’ swift progress.
On Friday, Israeli airstrikes targeted two border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ali Hamieh reported.
Similarly, Russian forces conducted overnight bombings, destroying the Rustan Bridge on the critical M5 highway to prevent rebels from utilizing it as a route into Homs, according to a Syrian army officer.
Rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have vowed to advance on Homs, a vital city connecting Damascus with the northern regions and Assad’s coastal stronghold. Fresh government reinforcements were deployed to bolster Homs’ defenses amid escalating tensions.
In an online message, a rebel operations room urged Homs residents to rise against the Assad regime, declaring, “Your time has come.”
