Thomas Watkins and Khaled Yacoub Oweis report:
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s decades-long hold on power appeared to be loosening on Friday as rebels made rapid gains against a demoralised and retreating national army and as key backer Russia signalled only limited support for Damascus.
Rebel fighters said they had reached the city limits of the key strategic city of Homs as part of their ongoing offensive against government forces. A day earlier, fighters captured the central city of Hama after the army withdrew, and rebels have already seized Syria’s second-largest city Aleppo.
A member of the rebel command told The National that fighters had paused at the northern outskirts of Homs, where the regime and up to 200 Hezbollah fighters are dug in near the military academy and other security compounds.
If Mr Al Assad’s military loses Homs, it would be a devastating blow to his 24-year grip on power. The city connects Damascus to Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, where Mr Assad still enjoys broad support. It also is a key hub for funnelling aid and materiel from Syria into Lebanon for Hezbollah.
