BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of individuals fled the central Syrian metropolis of Homs, the nation’s third largest, as insurgents seized two cities on the outskirts Friday, positioning themselves for an assault on a probably main prize of their march in opposition to President Bashar Assad.
The transfer, reported by pro-government media and an opposition battle monitor, was the most recent within the gorgeous advances by opposition fighters over the previous week which have thus far met little resistance from Assad’s forces. A day earlier, fighters captured the central metropolis of Hama, Syria’s fourth largest, after the military stated it withdrew to keep away from combating inside town and spare the lives of civilians.
The insurgents, led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have vowed to march to Homs and the capital, Damascus, Assad’s seat of energy. Movies circulating on-line confirmed a freeway jammed with automobiles full of individuals fleeing Homs, a metropolis with a big inhabitants belonging to Assad’s Alawite sect, seen as his core supporters.
If Assad’s army loses Homs, it might be a crippling blow. The town, elements of which had been managed by insurgents till 2014, stands at an essential intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, the place Assad enjoys huge help. Homs province is Syria’s largest in measurement and borders Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan.
Stress on the federal government intensified from a number of instructions.
Opposition protesters stormed safety posts and armed forces positions within the southern province of Sweida, opposition activists stated. U.S.-backed Kurdish forces who management japanese and northeastern Syria started to encroach on government-held territory.
Offensive leaves Assad reliant on Russia
After years of largely being bottled up in a northwest nook of the nation, the insurgents burst out every week in the past, captured the northern metropolis of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and have saved advancing since. Authorities troops have repeatedly fallen again.
The sudden offensive has flipped the tables on a long-entrenched stalemate in Syria’s practically 14-year-old civil battle. Together with HTS, the fighters embody forces of an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias referred to as the Syrian Nationwide Military. Turkey has denied backing the offensive, although specialists say insurgents wouldn’t have launched it with out the nation’s consent.
HTS’s chief, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, advised CNN in an unique interview Thursday from Syria that Assad’s authorities was on the trail to falling, propped up solely by Russia and Iran.
“The seeds of the regime’s defeat have always been within it,” he stated. “But the truth remains, this regime is dead.”
A key query about Assad’s skill to struggle again is how a lot high ally Russia — whose troops again Assad’s forces — will throw help his method at a time when it’s tied up within the battle in Ukraine.
Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov stated he deliberate to debate the developments in Syria along with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts at a gathering Friday within the Qatari capital, Doha.
In an interview with former Fox Information host Tucker Carlson, he stated worldwide actors had been backing the insurgents’ advances and that he would talk about “the way to cut the channels of financing and arming them.”
In the meantime, Russia’s embassy in Syria issued a discover reminding Russian residents that they might use industrial flights to depart the nation “in view of the difficult military-political situation.”
The international ministers of Iran, Iraq and Syria — three shut allies — gathered Friday in Baghdad to seek the advice of on the quickly altering battle. Syrian Overseas Minister Bassam Sabbagh stated the present developments could pose “a serious threat to the security of the region as a whole.”
Assad opponents transfer in middle, south and east
The rebel fighters on Friday took over the central cities of Rastan and Talbiseh, placing them 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Homs, based on the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition battle monitor.
“The battle of Homs is the mother of all battles and will decide who will rule Syria,” stated Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory’s chief.
Professional-government Sham FM stated the insurgents entered Rastan and Talbiseh with out dealing with any resistance. There was no instant remark from the Syrian army.
The Observatory stated Syrian troops had left Homs. However the army denied that in feedback reported by the state information company SANA, saying troops had been reinforcing their positions within the metropolis and had been “ready to repel” any assault.
In japanese Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces coalition stated it had moved into the government-held half of town of Deir el-Zour, apparently with out resistance. One of many fundamental cities within the east, Deir el-Zour had lengthy been cut up between the federal government on the western aspect of the Euphrates River and the SDF on the japanese aspect.
The SDF additionally stated it took management of additional elements of the border with Iraq. That appeared to carry it nearer to the government-held Boukamal border crossing. The crossing is an important for the federal government as a result of it’s the gateway to the hall to Iran, a provide line for Iran-backed fighters, together with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
On the similar time, insurgents seized Syria’s sole crossing to Jordan, based on opposition activists. Jordan introduced it was closing its aspect of the crossing. Lebanon additionally closed all however one among its border crossings with Syria.
Worsening financial system might damage Assad’s battle effort
The opposition assault has struck a blow to Syria’s already decrepit financial system. On Friday, the U.S. greenback was promoting on Syria’s parallel marketplace for about 18,000 kilos, a 25% drop from every week in the past. When Syria’s battle erupted in March 2011, a greenback was valued at 47 kilos.
The drop additional undermines the buying energy of Syrians at a time when the U.N. has warned that 90% of the inhabitants is under the poverty line.
Syria’s financial system has been hammered for years by the battle, Western sanctions, corruption and an financial meltdown in neighboring Lebanon, Syria’s fundamental gate to the surface world.
Damascus residents advised The Related Press that persons are speeding to markets to purchase meals, fearing additional escalation.
The worsening financial system might be undermining the flexibility of Syria’s army to struggle, as the worth of troopers’ salaries melts away whereas the insurgents are flush with money.
Syria’s army has not appeared to place up a cohesive counteroffensive in opposition to the opposition advances. SANA on Friday quoted an unnamed army official as saying the Syrian and Russian air forces had been placing insurgents in Hama province, killing dozens of fighters.
Syria’s protection minister stated in a televised assertion late Thursday that authorities forces withdrew from Hama as “a temporary tactical measure” and vowed to achieve again misplaced areas.
“We are in a good position on the ground,” Gen. Ali Mahmoud Abbas stated, saying troops remained “at the gates of Hama.” He spoke earlier than the opposition superior additional south towards Homs.
He stated the insurgents, whom he described as “takfiri” or Muslim extremists, are backed by international international locations. He didn’t title the international locations however seemed to be referring to Turkey and the USA.
Related Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
