Homs falls on rebels: Is that the end of Assad's regime?

Homs falls on rebels: Is that the end of Assad's regime?

In Syria, a dramatic turn is made: the strategically important city of Homs fully fell into the hands of the Islamist rebels under the leadership of the Hayat Tahrir al-Scham (HTS). This conquest meant a difficult blow for the government of President Bashar al-Assad, since Homs is not only considered the third largest city in the country, but also as an important traffic junction between the capital Damascus and the coast. According to reports from faz.net , the insurgents also freed 3,500 prisoners from a military prison in Homs. The government troops seem to withdraw in droves; Some officers are even said to have fled to the coast with helicopters, which further endangered control over the region.

new fears in Damascus

With the taking of Homs, the rebels have now paved the way to Damascus, which has tense the Situation in the capital. According to reports from vienna.at , many families within the government supporters already leave their houses and seek refuge in Lebanon, as they fear the rebels before the rise. The Syrian government tries to maintain the impression of the control in Damascus, but the doubts about the stability of its regime is still increasing. Rami Abdel-Rahman from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the fall of the Syrian government was only a matter of time.

In addition, the Lebanese Hisbollah pulls its fighters from Homs and the foreign districts of Damascus, which could further tighten the already tense situation. This development has consequences not only for the military of Assad, but also for geopolitical tensions in the region, while Russia is still committed as Assad. The situation in Syria remains more critical than ever, while the United Nations already expect up to 1.5 million new refugees.