Israel Rebels in Syria advance on strategic city of Homs
Following the lightning offensive by the Islamist rebel alliance in Syria, ruler Bashar al-Assad is facing a decisive battle for the strategically important city of Homs. Syrian government troops have already withdrawn from the metropolis of millions, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is monitoring the war in the country with a network of informants. However, militias loyal to the government are still stationed in Syria's third-largest city.
06.12.2024, 18:15
SDA
The conflict in Syria began in 2011 with protests against Assad's government. Security forces used violence against them. Everything led to a civil war with international involvement, in which Russia, Iran, Turkey and the USA are pursuing their own interests. Around 14 million people have been displaced. According to UN estimates, more than 300,000 civilians have died so far. A political solution has not been in sight for years.
On November 27, the civil war suddenly flared up again with the offensive by the Islamist alliance Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). In a very short space of time, the group captured a lot of territory, some of it without a fight. Last Sunday, the second-largest Syrian city of Aleppo, the economic center in the north, fell under their control. The alliance under leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani, who is only in his early 40s, is planning to overthrow the Syrian government.
Northern countryside in the hands of the rebels
According to the UK-based monitoring center, the rebels had already taken control of the northern outskirts of Homs. The rebels had advanced to within five kilometers of the city from the north. The towns of Talbiseh and Rastan, both strongholds of the opposition forces at the beginning of the Syrian civil war, are now under their control.
Homs is a crossroads between the capital Damascus, the coastal regions and the north of the country. With a population of around 1.5 million, the large city has long been a symbolic scene of resistance in the civil war. "Whoever wins the battle with Homs will rule Syria," the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel-Rahman, told the German Press Agency.
Neighboring countries Jordan and Israel take measures
Meanwhile, Jordan has closed an important border crossing. The Ministry of the Interior has ordered the closure of the Jaber border crossing in the north of the country due to the security situation, reported the state news agency Petra. It is one of only two border crossings in the neighboring countries.
Israel sent more soldiers to the annexed Golan Heights. Additional air and ground troops will be stationed there along the border with Syria, the Israeli military announced. The Israeli army "will not tolerate any threats near the Israeli border", it continued in a statement.
According to the media, Israel is also preparing for a possible collapse of the Syrian army. The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" reported that Israel is also preparing for the possibility of a surprise attack from the Syrian border region.
The Golan Heights, a strategically important rocky plateau, were conquered by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. This is not recognized internationally. Under international law, the areas are considered to be Syrian territory occupied by Israel.
German government closely monitoring the situation
"The German government is closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation in Syria," a spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior told the German Press Agency. Whether this situation will result in refugee movements in or out of the region is currently just as unpredictable as possible effects on the ability of Syrian refugees to return home.
Following the death of two journalists in Syria, the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for an independent investigation. The targeted killing of media professionals is a war crime, RSF declared. "Of all media professionals, war reporters are the ones who are most at risk," said RSF Managing Director Anja Osterhaus.
On Wednesday, the award-winning dpa photographer Anas Alkharboutli was killed in an airstrike presumably carried out by the Syrian-Russian military alliance. The 32-year-old had been reporting on the advance of the rebel alliance Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in recent days.
Four days earlier, the correspondent of the Turkish state broadcaster TRT, Mustafa al-Kurdi, was shot dead, according to RSF. According to RSF information, pro-government soldiers in Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, opened fire on a car in which the reporter was sitting.
Kurdish forces control important Syrian city
According to activists, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led by Kurdish militias have taken control of a strategically important city in eastern Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the SDF captured Dair as-Saur on Friday. Government troops had previously withdrawn. The city, formerly a stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia, is an important transportation hub between Syria and Iraq. In 2017, it was recaptured by the Syrian army with the support of Russia.
