Local rebels take most of southern Syrian region of Deraa
AFPRebels in southern Syria have reportedly captured much of the Daraa region – the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
A British war monitor reports that “local factions” have taken control of a number of local military bases after “violent fighting” with government forces.
Rebel sources said they had reached a deal to withdraw troops and provide military officials with safe passage to the capital Damascus, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away, Reuters reported.
The BBC could not independently verify the reports, which came as Islamist-led rebels in northern Syria claimed to have reached the outskirts of the city of Homs.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, said on Friday that rebels in the south now control more than 90% of the Daraa region, with only Sanamine still in government hands.
The city of Daraa has strategic and symbolic importance. It is the provincial capital, close to a major border crossing with Jordan, and the site of pro-democracy protests in 2011 that sparked the country’s ongoing civil war that has killed more than half a million people.
Jordan’s interior minister said the country had closed one side of its border “due to the security situation surrounding southern Syria.”
Elsewhere, Kurdish-led forces said they had captured the city of Deir ez-Zor, the government’s main stronghold in the country’s vast eastern desert.
It comes just a week after rebels in the north launched the largest blitz offensive against the Syrian government in years, exposing the weaknesses of the country’s military.
So far, at least 370,000 people are believed to have been displaced by the rebel offensive, according to the United Nations, which said the fighting had also “worsened the already dire situation for civilians in the north of the country”.
Some civilians are trapped in frontline areas, unable to reach safer locations.
SOHR said more than 820 people, including 111 civilians, have been killed across the country since Islamist-led rebels began their offensive last week.
them Thursday’s capture of Hama, north of Homs – A second major blow to President Assad, who lost control of Aleppo last week.
Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), told Homs residents “your time has come.”
The rebels have been pushing south, and Homs will be the next stop on the way to Damascus.
Frightened members of President Assad’s Alawite minority community were rushing out of Homs, with videos showing roads packed with cars.
“Our forces have liberated the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs and have now captured the city walls,” the Syrian faction leading the attack said on Telegram.
The BBC has not confirmed the movements, but SOHR earlier reported that the rebels were within a few kilometers of the city.
“SOHR” said that Russian warplanes bombed a bridge near Rastan in an attempt to slow down the advance of the rebels.
After days of fighting, the Syrian army has lost control of Hama and it is unclear whether it will be able to defend Homs.
The Defense Ministry denied claims it had withdrawn troops from the strategic city linking the capital Damascus with the Alawite heartland on the Mediterranean coast.
Alawites are a minority sect of Shiite Muslims from which the Assad family originated.
They have long been the main support base for Assad’s rule and key to the president’s grip on power.
Assad vowed to “crush” the rebels and accused Western powers of trying to redraw the map of the region.
But analysts say his Troop morale was low due to low wages and corruption within the ranks. he A 50% salary increase was announced in recent days, state news agency SANA reported.
The regime’s most important allies, Russia and Iran, have announced continued support for Assad,
But they have not provided the military aid that has so far shored up his rule, and Moscow is now urging Russian nationals to leave the country.
The United States on Friday also advised its citizens to leave Syria “while Damascus still has business options.”
Getty ImagesThe Kremlin is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, while Iran is weakened by Israel’s punitive actions against its most powerful ally, Lebanese Hezbollah.
Hezbollah fighters were once key to controlling the Syrian regime’s territory, but they are now largely absent from the battlefield, although Lebanese and Israeli media reported that a small number crossed the border to support defenses in Homs.
Russian and Iranian officials are expected to meet with their Turkish counterparts over the weekend to discuss how to respond to an escalation in Syria’s civil war.
Türkiye supports some rebel groups and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for months urged Assad 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 responded to his calls.
Analysts say this almost certainly would not have happened without Ankara’s knowledge and approval.
For his part, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jalani has been making public statements to soften his image and appease Syrian and foreign leaders.
He emphasized his split from Islamic State and al-Qaeda years ago, portrayed himself as a nationalist who opposed attacks outside Syria and pledged to protect minority communities.
Jalani told CNN in an interview that the rebels’ goal is to overthrow Assad’s regime and establish a government that represents all Syrians.
Earlier, HTS militants and their allies captured Hama and freed prisoners from the central prison amid fierce fighting, while the military said it had redeployed troops outside the city.
Hama, a city of 1 million people, is 110 kilometers south of Aleppo, which rebels captured last week.
In Aleppo, a city of 2 million people, some public services and key facilities – including hospitals, bakeries, power stations, water, internet and telecommunications – are disrupted or unavailable due to shortages of supplies and personnel.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged “all those with influence to do their part” to end the civil war.
Additional reporting by Maia Davies
