Syrian rebels quicken momentum as Assad tries to shore up defence

7/12/2024 18:15

Syrian rebels were poised to press their lightning advance on Saturday after reaching the edge of the central city of Homs, with government forces attempting to buttress collapsing frontlines and save President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year rule.



Since the rebels' sweep into Aleppo a week ago, government defences have crumbled across the country at dizzying speed as insurgents seized a string of major cities and rose up in places where the rebellion had long seemed over.



Besides capturing Aleppo in the north, Hama in the centre and Deir al-Zor in the east, rebels rose up in southern Suweida and Deraa, saying on Friday they had taken control of the two cities and posting videos showing insurgent celebrations there.



Syria's military said it was carrying out airstrikes around Hama and Homs and reinforcing on that front. It also said it was repositioning around Deraa and Suweida, without acknowledging their capture by rebels.



The pace of events has stunned Arab capitals, Western officials say, raising their fears of a fresh wave of regional instability.



Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad's rule, dragged in big outside powers, created space for jihadist militants to plot attacks around the world and sent millions of refugees into neighbouring states.