Syrian rebels have a good time victory in Homs, goal Damascus By Reuters

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Timour Azhari

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian rebels stated on Sunday that they had taken full management of the important thing metropolis of Homs after only a day of preventing, leaving President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year rule in limbo as insurgents had been marching on the capital. , Damascus.

Hundreds of Homs residents took to the streets after the military withdrew from town heart, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Lengthy dwell Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad.”

Rebels fired into the air in celebration, and youths tore down posters of the Syrian president, whose territorial management collapsed throughout a dizzying week-long military retreat.

The seize of Homs offers insurgents management of Syria's strategic coronary heart and a key street junction, slicing off Damascus from the coastal area that’s the stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect and the place his Russian allies have a base. naval base and an air base.

The seize of Homs can be a strong image of the insurgent motion's spectacular return to the 13-year battle. Swaths of Homs had been destroyed in a grueling siege struggle between rebels and the military years in the past. The preventing crushed the insurgents who had been pushed out.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the primary insurgent chief, known as the seize of Homs a historic second and urged fighters to not hurt “those that put down their weapons.”

The rebels freed hundreds of inmates from town's jail. The safety forces left in a rush after burning their paperwork.

The battle for management of the nation dangers shortly turning in the direction of the capital. Residents of many neighborhoods in Damascus turned out Saturday night time to protest towards Assad, and safety forces had been unwilling, or unable, to quell the crackdown.

Syrian insurgent commander Hassan Abdul Ghani stated in a press release on Sunday that operations had been underway to “utterly liberate” the countryside round Damascus and that insurgent forces had been trying in the direction of the capital.

In a single suburb, a statue of Assad's father, the late President Hafez al-Assad, was toppled and torn aside.

The Syrian military stated it was strengthening round Damascus and state tv reported Saturday that Assad remained within the metropolis.

Exterior town, rebels swept throughout the southwest for twenty-four hours and took management of town.

EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO ASSAD REGIME

The autumn of Homs and the menace to the capital pose a direct existential hazard to the Assad dynasty's five-decade rule over Syria and to the continued affect of its principal regional backer, Iran.

International officers have stated the federal government could also be on the snapping point. One U.S. official put the timeframe at between 5 and 10 days, whereas one other stated Assad could possibly be toppled within the coming week.

The tempo of occasions has surprised Arab capitals and raised fears of a brand new wave of regional instability.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Russia issued a joint assertion saying the disaster was a harmful improvement and calling for a political answer.

However there isn’t any indication that they’ve agreed on concrete measures, with the scenario in Syria evolving by the hour.

Syria's civil struggle, which erupted in 2011 as an rebellion towards Assad's regime, led to the intervention of main exterior powers, created area for jihadist militants to plan assaults all over the world and despatched hundreds of thousands of refugees to neighboring states.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, probably the most highly effective insurgent group, is the previous affiliate of al-Qaeda in Syria, thought-about by america and others to be a terrorist group, and lots of Syrians nonetheless concern it doesn’t impose a draconian Islamist regime.

Golani tried to reassure minorities that he wouldn’t intrude with them, in addition to the worldwide group, that he opposes Islamist assaults overseas. In Aleppo, taken by rebels every week in the past, no reprisals have been reported.

Requested on Saturday whether or not he believed Golani, Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov replied: “The proof of the pudding is within the consuming.”

THE ROLE OF ALLIES IN SUPPORTING ASSAD

Assad has lengthy relied on his allies to subdue the rebels. Russian warplanes carried out bombings whereas Iran despatched allied forces, together with Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi militias, to strengthen the Syrian military and storm rebel strongholds.

However Russia has been targeted on the struggle in Ukraine since 2022 and Hezbollah has suffered heavy losses in its personal grueling struggle with The occupying Zionist entity, severely limiting its or Iran's capability to assist Assad.

US President-elect Donald Trump stated america shouldn’t be concerned within the battle and may “let it play out”.

Russia has a naval base and an air base in Syria which have been essential not just for its assist of Assad, but additionally for its capability to mission affect within the Mediterranean and Africa.