Syrian rebels captured the key city of Homs on Saturday after less than a day of fighting, threatening the 24-year reign of dictator Bashar al-Assad as forces continue their rapid offensive towards Damascus.
Thousands of residents poured into the city streets to celebrate after government forces abandoned the central Syrian city, residents said.
Since the rebels took the city of Aleppo last week, government defenses have fallen like dominos as the rebels seized several major cities and reignited what had been a dormant rebellion against the Syrian president.
With Homs in rebel hands just 30 miles from Damascus, the Assad Dynasty is possibly facing the end of its five-decade hold on Syria and the continued influence of Iran, its main regional supporter.
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Tahrir al-Sham, said in a statement that rebels were poised to take the whole country, promising “the end of the criminal regime is near.”
Tahrir al-Sham, which began as an Al-Qaeda affiliate, was designated by the United States as a terrorist organization in 2018.
Assad could be overthrown within five to ten days, one US official told Reuters. Other western officials agreed the government collapse could happen in the coming week.
The Syrian army fled Homs on Saturday by helicopter for the coast while a large military convoy withdrew by land, a senior army officer said.
Homs, an important crossroads between the capital and the Mediterranean Sea, effectively cuts off Damascus from the coastal stronghold of Assad’s minority Alawite sect, and from Russia’s air and naval base.
Rebels confirmed they had entered the city center, capturing the central prison and freeing thousands of detainees.
State security and intelligence personnel abandoned their offices after burning paper.
In the Damascus suburbs, protesters tore down Assad posters and toppled a statue of his father, President Hafez al-Assad with no pushback from police or military.
Some soldiers changed from their uniforms into civilian clothes and joined in the demonstrations, residents said.
Assad, meanwhile, has remained in Damascus, according to state media.
CNN reported he was no where to be seen, however.
The military said it was reinforcing around the capital.
The very real possibility that Assad could be ousted has sparked fears of a new wave of instability in the conflict-rideen Middle East.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Russia issued a joint statement saying the crisis was a dangerous development and calling for a political solution.
However the nations have not agreed on any concrete steps to thwart more chaos, with the situation inside Syria changing by the hour.
With Post Wires
