Syrian rebels declared early Sunday that they have seized full control of Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, just a day after entering it.
Rebel forces are now advancing toward Damascus, with reports indicating they already hold parts of the capital's suburbs. The rapid developments over the weekend have intensified speculation that President Bashar al-Assad's regime is nearing collapse.
A convoy of Assad regime forces withdrawing from Homs
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), hailed the "historic moment" in a statement and urged his fighters not to harm Syrian soldiers who surrender. Meanwhile, a rebel-aligned television channel reported that Assad regime officials are fleeing Damascus.
Assad's office denied rumors that the president had left the capital, following reports that his wife and children fled to Russia, a key ally. However, CNN cited sources claiming that Assad's location is unknown and that his presidential guard has vacated his palace.
The rebel offensive, launched just over a week ago following a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, has caught the Syrian military off guard. After years of stalemate in the civil war, the rebels have swiftly overrun key territories. They began their campaign in northern Syria, capturing Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, before advancing southward to seize Hama.
Now in control of Homs, an important strategic hub, the rebels' momentum is raising alarm among Assad's allies, Russia and Iran, and prompting regional powers, including Israel, to assess the implications of the regime's potential downfall. Analysts suggest Assad’s survival is in doubt if Homs remains in rebel hands.
Hezbollah fighters flee Homs: 'The city can no longer be defended'
Syrian rebel forces announced Saturday that they have seized control of a prison in central Homs, freeing more than 3,500 inmates. Throughout the evening, residents reported long convoys of soldiers leaving the city. A Syrian army official confirmed the retreat, describing a "large convoy" that had withdrawn. Thousands were later seen celebrating in Homs, chanting for the end of Assad's regime.
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An Assad military armored vehicle set aflame in Hamas; Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
(Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP, AP)
A Syrian military officer told Reuters that dozens of Hezbollah fighters from the elite Radwan Force fled Homs after concluding, in coordination with the army, that "the city can no longer be defended."
Meanwhile, the Syrian Defense Ministry issued a statement denying the rebels had entered Homs, insisting, "The situation is stable and secure, with our forces deployed around the city in impenetrable defensive positions."
U.S. officials told CNN that the Biden administration believes the fall of the Assad regime could be imminent following the rebels' advances. “The emerging consensus is that is an increasingly plausible scenario,” one senior U.S. official told CNN.
“Probably by next weekend the Assad regime will have lost any semblance of power,” another official said.
Earlier, President-elect Donald Trump reiterated that Washington must not intervene in Syria, saying, "This is not America's fight."
'Assad offered to sever ties with Hezbollah to the US'
Bloomberg reported Saturday that Assad is seeking a deal to secure his hold on power and, given the current battlefield realities, is open to engaging with the United States. According to the report, Assad, through mediation by the United Arab Emirates, proposed that Syria sever all ties with Iran-backed proxies like Hezbollah if Western powers exert pressure to end the fighting and rebel offensives.
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On Saturday afternoon, reports emerged that rebel forces had reached the "gates of Damascus." The Syrian military later said that it was bolstering defenses around the capital and engaging rebel forces in multiple areas. Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad al-Rahmoun declared, "Damascus is heavily fortified, and no one can breach its security."
HTS leader Golani said Saturday that rebel forces "have begun encircling" Damascus and are now less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city’s southern entrance. Addressing his fighters, he proclaimed, "Damascus awaits you."
2,000 Syrian soldiers flee to Iraq
Rebel forces opposing the Assad regime have intensified their operations across southern Syria, reportedly taking control of three provinces: Daraa, Sweida and Quneitra, the latter near the Israeli border. In eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border, Kurdish rebels seized the city of Deir ez-Zor and its border crossing over the weekend.
Reports on Saturday revealed that approximately 2,000 Syrian army soldiers fled the country, crossing into Iraq through the Deir ez-Zor border point. The mayor of the Iraqi border town of al-Qaim claimed that the soldiers are seeking refuge, with some requiring medical attention due to injuries.
In response to these developments, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey convened Saturday to affirm the importance of Syria’s territorial integrity and discuss resuming political negotiations to resolve the crisis.
While Turkey supports certain rebel factions, Russia and Iran continue backing Assad’s regime. Russian aircraft have been conducting strikes against rebel positions across Syria, and pro-Iranian militias have entered Syria following the surprise offensive.
A Hezbollah-affiliated source disclosed that the organization, recovering from a year of fighting with Israel, has dispatched 2,000 fighters to Syria to bolster Assad’s forces against the rebels.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported Saturday that Iran, a key ally of Assad, has begun evacuating senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders from Syria following the fall of Hama to rebel forces on Thursday.
An Iraqi official told the Post that Tehran is also removing nonessential diplomats and their families from Damascus, citing fears that Assad’s regime may collapse and leave Iranian personnel “trapped” in the country.