News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 6th December 2024
Tens of thousands of residents are leaving Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, amid rumors that rebels are closing in, just over a week after launching their lightning onslaught. On Thursday, the rebels seized Hama in the north, dealing President Bashar al-Assad a second severe blow after losing control of Aleppo last week. Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, the commander of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), urged Homs citizens that “your time has come”.
Last week, rebel groups launched the largest onslaught against the Syrian government in years. They have been marching south, and Homs will be the next stop on the way to Damascus.Their onslaught is the fastest combat advance by either side since the Syrian civil war began 13 years ago, revealing the military’s weaknesses. Terrified members of President Assad’s Alawite minority community are fleeing Homs, with video footage showing highways congested with cars.According to the rebels’ joint operations center, their fighters have crossed through two towns en route to Homs – Rastan and Talbisseh – and are currently within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of the city.
Earlier, the SOHR said that Russian airplanes had destroyed a bridge in Rastan to try to block the rebel advance. The Syrian military has lost control of Hama after days of combat, and it is unclear whether it will be able to defend Homs. Homs is a major city that connects Damascus to the Alawite heartland on the Mediterranean coast, which is Assad’s political stronghold and crucial to his hold on power. Assad has pledged to “crush” the rebels and accused Western powers of attempting to change the map of the area.
However, many believe Assad’s forces are demoralised due to low pay and corruption in the ranks. Assad recently announced a 50% pay increase, according to the state news agency SANA. Russia and Iran, the regime’s most key allies, have declared their continuous support for Assad, but have not delivered the military aid that has previously supported his reign.The Kremlin is concerned with the conflict in Ukraine, and Iran has been weakened by Israel’s devastating campaign against its most powerful ally, Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Hezbollah fighters had played an important role in retaining regime territories in Syria. Russian and Iranian officials are due to meet with Turkish colleagues over the weekend to discuss a response to the recent surge in Syria’s civil conflict.
Turkey supports some of the rebel factions involved in the offensive, which observers believe could not have happened without Ankara’s knowledge and agreement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pressured Assad for months to achieve a political agreement with the opposition. Erdogan has repeated that desire and stated that Turkey is striving to facilitate such a conclusion.
For his part, HTS head Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani has made public statements to soften his image and reassure Syrians and foreign officials. He stressed his departure from Islamic State and Al Qaeda years ago, portraying himself as a nationalist opposed to strikes outside Syria and offering protection for minority groups.
Earlier, HTS rebels and their allies took control of Hama and released inmates from its central prison after hard fights, while the military reported it had redeployed forces outside the city. Hama has a population of one million people and is located 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Aleppo, which the rebels won last week.Meanwhile, the United Nations has stated that the violence is “worsening an already horrific situation for civilians in the north of the country.” An estimated 280,000 people have been displaced, the most of them are women and children, and some civilians are stranded on the front lines, unable to reach safer areas.
Some public services and key facilities in Aleppo, a metropolis of two million people, have been disrupted or rendered inoperable due to a lack of supply and personnel. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged “all those with influence to do their part” in ending the civil war.
