Syrian anti-regime fighters advance towards Homs city
HAMA
Anti-regime groups in Syria, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have gained control of the districts of Rastan and Talbiseh in the strategic Homs province, a critical region serving as a gateway to Damascus, sources reported.
Clashes between anti-regime groups and Syrian regime forces have been ongoing since Nov. 27. Following their capture of Hama’s city center earlier this week, the opposition has made substantial advances in Homs, pushing closer to the city outskirts.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, HTS and its allied factions are now within five kilometers (three miles) of Homs city after taking control of Rastan and Talbiseh.
The capture of Homs could enable the opposition to cut off access to the M5 highway—a critical link connecting Aleppo, Hama, and Homs to Damascus—and disrupt the main road to Syria’s coastal regions, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite community.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Israeli airstrikes targeted two border crossings between Syria and Lebanon on Friday morning, two important acess points to Homs.
Additionally, Russian airstrikes overnight destroyed the Rastan bridge, a vital link along the M5 highway, to hinder the movement of anti-regime fighters advancing toward Homs.
By Nov. 30, opposition forces captured most of Aleppo’s city center and established dominance in the Idlib province. Intense fighting on Dec. 5 resulted in anti-regime forces taking control of Hama’s city center.
Elsewhere, the Syrian National Army initiated Operation Dawn of Freedom in the Tel Rifaat district of Aleppo’s countryside on Dec. 1, successfully liberating the area from PKK/YPG terrorist elements.
