Thousands flee Syrian city of Homs as rebels advance further

Tens of thousands of people are fleeing Homs, Syria's third-largest city, as rebels say they have reached its outskirts, just over a week after launching their blitzkrieg offensive.

The rebels captured Hama in the north on Thursdaya second hard blow for President Bashar al Assad who lost control of Aleppo last week.

The leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, told residents of Homs that “your time has come.”

Rebel forces last week launched the biggest offensive against the Syrian government in years.

They are advancing south and Homs will be the next stop on the road to the capital Damascus.

Their offensive marks the fastest battlefield advance by either side since the Syrian civil war began 13 years ago, exposing the weakness of the country's military.

Terrified members of President Assad's minority Alawite community are rushing to leave Homs, with video footage showing roads clogged with cars.

“Our forces have liberated the last village on the outskirts of Homs city and are now on its walls,” the Syrian faction leading the assault said on Telegram.

The BBC was unable to verify the movements, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, previously reported that the rebels were within a few miles of the city.

The SOHR said Russian warplanes bombed a bridge near Rastan in an attempt to slow the rebel advance.

After the Syrian army lost control of Hama after several days of fighting, it is unclear whether it will be able to defend Homs.

The Defense Ministry has denied allegations that it has withdrawn troops from the strategic city, which links the capital Damascus to the Alawite heartland on the Mediterranean coast.

Elsewhere, Kurdish-led forces say they have captured the town of Deir Ezzor, the government's main stronghold in the country's vast eastern desert.

In the south, Jordan closed its border after an outbreak of violence from local armed groups.

Russia's support has allowed President Bashar al Assad to remain in power throughout the civil war – but it has called on its nationals to leave.

The Alawites are a minority sect of Shiite Muslims from which the Assad family hails.

They have long been a major base of support for the Assad regime and are essential to the president's grip on power.

Assad has vowed to “crush” the rebels and accused Western powers of trying to redraw the map of the region.

But analysts say its the forces are demoralized, facing low pay and corruption within the ranks. He announced a 50% salary increase in recent days, according to the official SANA news agency.

Russia and Iran, the regime's most important allies, have declared their continued support for Assad,

But they have failed to provide the kind of military assistance that has so far propped up his regime, and Moscow is now urging Russian nationals to leave the country.

The Kremlin is preoccupied with its war in Ukraine and Iran has been weakened by Israel's punitive campaign against its most powerful allied militia, Lebanese Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, whose fighters played a key role in maintaining the regime's territory in Syria, is now largely absent from the battlefield, although reports in the Lebanese and Israeli press indicate that a small number of them They crossed the border to reinforce the defense of Homs.

Russian and Iranian officials are expected to meet their Turkish counterparts this weekend to discuss a response to Syria's escalating civil war.

Turkey supports some rebel groups and its President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has been pressuring Mr Assad for months to reach a political solution with the opposition.

He expressed support for the rebels' recent advances and said the offensive would not have happened if Assad had responded to his calls.

Analysts say this certainly could not have happened without Ankara's knowledge and approval.

For his part, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani made public remarks to soften his image and reassure Syrian and foreign leaders.

He emphasized his break with Islamic State and al-Qaeda years ago, presenting himself as a nationalist opposed to attacks outside Syria and promising protection for minority communities.

In an interview with CNN, al-Jawlani said the rebel forces' goal was to overthrow the Assad regime and install a government that represents all Syrians.

More than half a million people have been killed since a civil war erupted in 2011 after Assad's government violently suppressed peaceful pro-democracy protests.

Since the start of this offensive nine days ago, the SOHR says that more than 820 people, including 111 civilians, have been killed across the country.

Earlier, HTS fighters and their allies took control of Hama and freed detainees from its central prison amid fierce fighting, while the army said it had redeployed its troops outside the city.

Hama is home to a million people and is 110 km south of Aleppo, which rebels captured last week.

Separately, the UN said the fighting is also “worsening an already horrific situation for civilians in the north of the country.”

An estimated 280,000 people have been displaced, mostly women and children, and some civilians are stuck in frontline areas, unable to reach safer places.

In Aleppo, a city of two million people, some critical public services and facilities – including hospitals, bakeries, power plants, water, internet and telecommunications – are disrupted or non-functional due to lack of supplies and personnel.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged “all those with influence to do their part” to end the civil war.