Syrian civilians are fleeing the city of Homs as rebel forces march within a few miles of its parameter — a strategic point to capture in their campaign against Damascus.
Thousands of residents began leaving Homs by car and on foot after soldiers from the Hayat Tahrir al Sham insurgent group captured several towns near the city Friday, including Rastan and Talbiseh.
The region is home to a large population of Alawites, a minority ethnic and religious sect of Shiite Islam to which Syrian President Bashar Assad belongs. Homs and its surrounding regions are a firm base of support for Assad.
Capturing Homs would give the rebels a direct path to the capital city, where they aim to overwhelm Assad and overthrow his government. Defending Homs is crucial for Assad’s ability to repel future offensives.
HTS and its affiliate groups shocked the world when they captured the cities of Aleppo and Hama after initiating their surprise offensive last week.
Insurgents took the two major cities with little resistance from the government military, which was caught off guard and forced to pull back.
Since then, Assad has been trying desperately to fortify and maintain a front line between the capital city and the rebel forces in order to slow their continued expansion.
The president has been largely unsuccessful — even with military assistance and material aid from the Russian and Iranian militaries.
The rebel forces appear to have launched their campaign at a strategic moment when Russian and Iranian military resources are stretched thin in conflicts elsewhere in the world.
It’s a complete upheaval after approximately four years of stability in the country under the control of Assad and the Syrian Arab Army. The president seemed to have taken a firm grip over Syria in March 2020 with the support of foreign allies and a loyal security network.
HTS’s sudden reignition of hostilities shows the Syrian civil war, a conflict that has lasted approximately 13 years, is not over.
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The United States maintains a military presence in Kurdish-controlled regions of northeast Syria as a strategic point for combat against Iranian-backed militias and the Islamic State.
These forces have not been dragged into the hostilities unfolding between the rebels and the Assad regime elsewhere in the country.