Rebel forces in Syria have advanced toward Homs and are now just five kilometres from the country’s third-largest city after taking control of the strategically important city of Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced today.
Rebels close in on Homs
In recent hours, the rebels, spearheaded by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), entered the towns of Rastan and Talbiseh in the Homs province, where government forces were absent, according to the Observatory.
The non-governmental organisation stated that the rebels are now only five kilometres away from Homs. Hama, which lies on the route to Homs, is approximately 40 kilometres north of the city and further south lies the capital, Damascus.
Syrian army strikes rebel positions
The Syrian Army, along with Russian and Syrian warplanes, targeted “vehicles and gatherings of terrorists” in the Hama province, now under rebel control, the Syrian Ministry of Defence reported.
“Our armed forces bombarded vehicles and gatherings of terrorists in the northern and southern parts of Hama province using artillery, missiles, and strikes by Russian and Syrian fighter jets,” the ministry stated.
A crisis within a crisis
The United Nations announced today that the fighting between rebels and Syrian forces, which began on November 27, coupled with the rapid advance of jihadist groups, has displaced 280,000 people so far. The UN warned that the number could rise to 1.5 million.
Samer Abdel Jaber, director of the Emergency Coordination Unit of the World Food Programme (WFP), stated that the current displacement figures, updated last night, do not include those who fled Lebanon due to the recent escalation in clashes between Hezbollah and Israel.
The mass displacement began when rebels, led by HTS, launched a surprise operation roughly ten days ago. This came after a fragile ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect in neighbouring Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands had already fled to Syria to escape the conflict.
The WFP warned that the new wave of internal displacement, more than 13 years after Syria’s civil war began, “adds to years of suffering.” Abdel Jaber stressed the need for secure routes to deliver aid to communities in dire need.
“This is a crisis on top of another crisis,” he said, highlighting the urgent need for additional funding to meet the growing demands.
“If the situation continues at the current pace, we expect that around 1.5 million people will ultimately be displaced and in need of our support in Syria,” he concluded.
“Overthrowing Assad is the goal”
Meanwhile, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani stated in an interview with CNN today that the rebels’ operation aims to “overthrow the Assad regime.”
“When we talk about goals, the objective of the revolution is to overthrow this regime. We have the right to use all necessary means to achieve that goal,” he asserted.
Al-Julani added that he wishes to “rebuild Syria” and repatriate Syrian refugees from Lebanon and Europe. This was his first interview since the rebels began their operations, during which they have seized control of two major Syrian cities, Aleppo and Homs, and are now a few kilometres from Hama.
Amid concerns that HTS might impose strict Islamic law (Sharia) in the areas it controls, al-Julani told CNN that his organisation “can dissolve at any time. It is not an end in itself but a means to accomplish a significant task: to confront this regime.”
Also read: Syria: Hama falls into rebel hands
Source: ANA-MPA
