BEIRUT — The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is rapidly losing control over major cities and other parts of the country. Rebels continue to advance their offensive, seizing control of Hama on Friday before confronting government forces around the central city of Homs and in Daraa. And Aleppo last week.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which works with local sources to monitor the war, said on Friday that government forces had withdrawn from Homs and relocated to the Homs-Latakia highway. did.
The Syrian army denied the report, stressing in a statement that its forces remain in Homs and its countryside, deploying along the reinforced defense line with additional troops equipped with various equipment and weapons.
“Our military stands ready to repel any terrorist attack,” the statement said, referring to the rebel attack.
Last Wednesday, a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise attack from the northwestern province of Idlib into Aleppo province, which has been under government control since 2016. The attack was in response to increased attacks on northern positions by Syria and Russia.
Since then, rebels have captured Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, and Hama, a major city strategically located in central Syria between Aleppo and the capital Damascus.
By Friday, rebel forces had captured several towns and villages north of Homs city, including Talbiseh, Rastan, Deirful and Zahrana. SOHR also reported on the capture of al-Dar al-Kabila, a town just five miles from Homs.
The fall of Homs would add to a rapid series of setbacks Assad’s forces have suffered in recent days.
Homs is on the main route between Damascus and the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, strongholds of Assad and the Alawite minority. It is Syria’s largest province by area and shares borders with Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani said on Friday that the aim of the attack was to ultimately oust President Assad.
“When we talk about goals, the goal of the revolution is still to overthrow this regime. It is our right to use any means necessary to achieve that goal,” Jolani said in an interview with CNN.
Russian warplanes have launched repeated attacks on rebel-held areas in the north in recent days in a bid to slow the rebel advance.
Russia has supported President Assad since the conflict began in 2011, and intervened militarily in the conflict in 2015.
On Friday, the Russian embassy in Damascus warned Russian citizens to leave the country, citing the “difficult military and political situation.”
Assad’s government also receives support from Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Two senior Lebanese security officials told Reuters on Friday that an Iranian-backed group had sent a small “observer force” from Lebanon to Syria overnight to prevent rebels from seizing Homs. A Syrian army officer and two regional officials close to Tehran also told Reuters that Hezbollah members who entered Syria overnight had taken up positions in Homs.
Syrian government loses ground in south and east
The blitzkrieg in northern and central Syria has sparked fighting elsewhere in the country, with reports that government forces have left areas under their control in Deir Ezzor and Daraa.
Government forces have “almost completely” withdrawn from positions in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, including Deir Ezzor airport and other locations, SOHR reported on Friday. It added that Iranian militias had also withdrawn from their positions in the city towards the Syria-Iraq border.
Reports that government forces had withdrawn from Deir Ezzor were followed by claims that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces had captured Deir Ezzor. Two security officials based in eastern Syria told Reuters on Friday that the US-backed SDF had taken full control of Deir Ezzor and were now moving towards the city of al-Bukamal, which borders Iraq. .
In the southern province of Daraa, which borders Jordan, armed clashes have continued between local rebels and government forces since Thursday.
On Friday, government forces reportedly withdrew from two military checkpoints in the city of Inkil and the village of Al Jubayriya in western Daraa province, news site Daraa24 reported. On Friday, Syrian Air Force Intelligence troops also left their positions in the town of Al-Jiza, in the eastern countryside of Daraa, the site said.
The clashes came after local factions announced on Friday the formation of a southern operations room, made up of the 8th Brigade, the Central Committee and other rebel groups from neighboring Suwaydah and Quneitra provinces.
The purpose of the new war room is to end the “reign of tyranny,” according to their statement, which begins by declaring, “Our destination is Damascus and our meeting point is Umayyad Square, a major location in the capital.” is.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s interior ministry announced on Friday the closure of its only passenger and commercial border with Syria, citing the security situation in the south.
The Israeli army has reportedly begun reinforcing the 201st Division, the unit responsible for guarding the Syria-Israel border, and has deployed additional troops to the Golan Heights in response to developments in southern Syria.
