Following the capture of Aleppo and Hama, Syrian opposition forces are now focusing their efforts on seizing the city of Homs, located in central Syria.
Homs serves as a critical junction that connects the capital, Damascus, with northern Syria and the coastal strongholds of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the west. Gaining control of Homs would enable the opposition to advance towards both Damascus and the western coastal regions.
For the first time in four years, Syrian opposition forces launched an offensive last week that took both the Assad regime and external observers by surprise. By Saturday, they had successfully captured Aleppo, followed by Hama on Thursday. Since 2020, the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011, had largely stagnated due to a ceasefire agreement between Turkey, a supporter of the opposition, and Russia, which backs the regime. Although Assad’s regime had initially lost significant territory during the early years of the conflict, Russia’s direct military intervention in 2015 shifted the balance in favor of the regime, allowing it to regain control over much of the country. However, the recent unexpected offensive has undermined years of territorial gains.
As the opposition forces advanced southward, thousands of residents fled Homs in search of safety, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
With the opposition forces tightening their grip, many have sought refuge in the coastal areas to the west, which have long been a bastion for Assad. Additionally, Russia maintains key military bases along the Mediterranean coast, from which its air force has conducted operations against opposition forces to support the Assad regime.
Although Russia has allied with Assad’s regime in its fight against opposition forces, alongside Iran-backed militias, their capacity to support Assad has diminished due to their ongoing conflicts with Ukraine and Israel.
A resident from the coastal region in the west informed Reuters that a significant influx of individuals from Homs has begun as opposition forces advance.
The conflict in Homs
In a desperate attempt to impede the progress of opposition forces towards Homs, Russian troops destroyed a key bridge on Thursday night.
A Syrian army officer reported to Reuters that Russian forces targeted the Rustan Bridge along the vital M5 highway to obstruct opposition forces from utilizing this primary route into Homs. The officer indicated that Assad’s regime is reinforcing its positions around Homs with new troops. Homs is located approximately 160 kilometers from Damascus, while Hama, which was captured by opposition forces on Thursday, is about 240 kilometers away.
Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the Syrian opposition, has asserted that the primary goal is to overthrow Assad’s regime.
“When we discuss our objectives, the aim of the revolution remains the removal of this regime. We have the right to employ all means at our disposal to achieve this goal,” Jolani stated in an interview with CNN.
In a separate video shared by opposition forces, Jolani was seen urging: “People of Homs, prepare yourselves. People of Damascus, Dara’a, and Deir al-Zour, victory for all, God willing.”
