Rebels in Syria continue to advance towards Homs

After the lightning offensive by the Islamist rebel alliance in Syria, ruler Bashar al-Assad is threatened with a decisive battle for the strategically important city of Homs. Syrian government troops have already withdrawn from the metropolis, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the war in the country with a network of informants. However, militias loyal to the government are still stationed in Syria’s third largest city.

The conflict in Syria began in 2011 with protests against Assad’s government. Security forces responded with violence. Everything resulted in a civil war with international participation, in which Russia, Iran, Turkey and the USA pursued their own interests. Around 14 million people were displaced. According to UN estimates, more than 300,000 civilians have died so far. A political solution has not been in sight for years.

On November 27th, the civil war suddenly flared up again with the offensive of the Islamist alliance Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In a very short time, the group took over a lot of territory, sometimes without a fight. Last Sunday, Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo, the economic center in the north, fell under their control. The alliance led by leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani, who is only in his early 40s, is planning to overthrow the Syrian government.

According to the British-based Observatory, the rebels had previously taken control of the northern outskirts of Homs. The rebels had advanced to within five kilometers of the city from the north. The towns of Talbiseh and Rastan, both strongholds of the opposition forces at the beginning of the Syrian civil war, are now under their control.

Homs is a junction between the capital Damascus, the coastal regions and the north of the country. The large city with its around 1.5 million inhabitants has long been a symbolic site of resistance in the civil war. “Whoever wins the battle with Homs will rule Syria,” said the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel-Rahman, to the DPA news agency.

Meanwhile, Jordan has closed an important border crossing. The Ministry of the Interior has ordered the closure of the Jaber border post in the north of the country due to the security situation, the state news agency Petra reported. It is one of only two border crossings in neighboring countries.

Israel sent more soldiers to the annexed Golan Heights. The Israeli military said additional air and ground troops would be stationed there along the border with Syria. The Israeli army will “not tolerate any threats near the Israeli border,” it said in a statement.

According to the media, Israel is also preparing for a possible collapse of the Syrian army. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel is also preparing for the possibility of a surprise attack from the Syrian border region.

In the Six-Day War of 1967, the Golan Heights, a strategically important rocky plateau, were conquered by Israel and annexed in 1981. This is not recognized internationally. Under international law, the areas are considered Israeli-occupied territory of Syria.

“The federal government is closely following the rapidly changing situation in Syria,” a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior told the German Press Agency. It is currently impossible to predict whether this situation will result in refugee movements in the region or out of the region, as well as possible effects on the ability of Syrian refugees to return to their homeland.

After the deaths of two journalists in Syria, the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for an independent investigation. The targeted killing of media workers is a war crime, said RSF. “Of all media professionals, war correspondents are the ones most at risk,” said RSF managing director Anja Osterhaus.

On Wednesday, award-winning dpa photographer Anas Alkharboutli was killed in an air strike allegedly carried out by the Syrian-Russian military alliance. The 32-year-old had reported on the advance of the rebel alliance Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in recent days.

Four days earlier, Turkish state broadcaster TRT correspondent Mustafa al-Kurdi was shot dead, according to RSF. According to RSF information, pro-government soldiers in Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, opened fire on a car in which the reporter was sitting.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurdish militias, have taken control of a strategically important city in eastern Syria, according to activists. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the SDF captured Dair as-Saur on Friday. Government troops had previously withdrawn. The city, formerly the stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia, is an important transport hub between Syria and Iraq. In 2017 it was recaptured by the Syrian army with support from Russia.