Hundreds of flee from Homs, while rebels move to the south

Hundreds of flee from Homs, while rebels move to the south

In the night from Thursday to Friday, hundreds of people left the central Syrian city of Homs because the anti-regime continues to advance rebel groups towards the capital Damascus. Videos from the night show a long series of vehicles that populated the motorway from Homs, while the city is preparing for possible violence during the upcoming battles.

rebels target homs

After the rebels had taken the city of Hama in the north on Thursday, their gaze is now focusing on the strategically important city of Homs. A loss of Homs would split the areas under the control of President Bashar al-Assad in two parts and significantly restrict the government's military possibilities.

rebel spokesman expresses itself optimistically

"Our heroic Volks in Homs, your time has come," said a spokesman for the rebels on Thursday. According to the militant leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the rebel coalition ultimately strives for the fall of the decades of Assad regime. In an exclusive interview with CNN, he emphasized: "When we speak of goals, the goal of the revolution of the fall of this regime remains. It is our right to use all available funds to achieve this goal."

rebel strength and population

The population of Homs, which comprises a considerable proportion of Alawites, is under great pressure. Many Alawites fear retaliation of Islamist fighters who accuse them of dominating the country and supporting the oppression of the rebellion by Assad. After the breakthrough from the northwestern region of Idlib, the rebels moved at a rapid pace after taking Aleppo within three days and Hama within eight days, meeting minimal resistance from government forces.

fate of Homs uncertain

It remains unclear whether the regular armed forces will be able to defend Homs. Homs is about an hour's drive south of Hama. If the rebels succeed in conquering homs, they would have effectively divided Assad's territory into two isolated parts: one along the coast and the other in Damascus.

rebellion and internet shutdown

CNN could not reach contact persons on Friday due to a report on an internet failure when the rebels approached Homs. The progress of the rebels was welcomed by many residents of the newly conquered cities, which lived under the rule of the regime for years. The rebel fighters are looking forward to their progress while marching in Hama.

goals of the rebels and the future of Syria

In an interview with CNN, Jolani, leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), said that his group wanted to create a government based on institutions and a “advice elected by the people”. Although it was hardly imaginable a week ago that the Assad regime could go down quickly, Jolani said: "The seeds of the defeat of the regime have always been in himself ... The Iranians tried to revive the regime by bought him, and later the Russians tried to support it. But the truth remains: this regime is dead."

effects of the Syrian war

The offensive reactivated a civil war that was largely latent for years. The conflict began in 2011 after Assad tried to cut peaceful pro-democratic protests during the Arab spring. The struggle escalated as other regional actors and world powers-from Saudi Arabia and the United States to Iran and Russia-interfered with the conflict, which resulted in the civil war into a "deputy war".

According to the United Nations, war over 300,000 civilians were killed in more than a decade, millions of others were sold in the region.