Syrian rebel forces announced today that they have reached the central city of Homs in a lightning-fast advance, which could lead to the fall of another city strategically important to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
"Our forces have liberated the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs and are now on its walls," the Syrian faction that led the attack said on Telegram, reports Reuters.
Reuters said it could not independently confirm the insurgents' claim.
The Islamist group, formerly part of al-Qaeda, now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has issued a final appeal to forces loyal to the Assad government in Homs to defect to their ranks.
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If the rebels take Homs, they would cut off the capital Damascus from the coast.
Syrian state media reported that the army was carrying out an operation in the countryside of Homs with the support of Syrian and Russian air forces, artillery, missiles and armored vehicles.
Citing a military source, it is said that dozens of rebels were killed.
In another setback for Assad, a United States-backed alliance led by Syrian Kurdish fighters on Friday captured Deir al-Zor, the government's main stronghold in the country's vast eastern desert, three Syrian sources told Reuters.
It is the third major city, after Aleppo and Hama, to fall from Assad's control in a week.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) announced that 20 civilians, including five children, were killed in attacks by Russia and Syria today near Homs, the Beta agency reported.
"Russian and Syrian airstrikes and Syrian artillery bombardment of several villages near the city of Homs killed 20 civilians, including five members of the same family," said Rami Abdel Rahmane, director of the OSDH.
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