Syria rebels say they control Homs, are advancing on capital Damascus
President Assad’s 24-year rule is dangling by a thread, with one US official saying he could be ousted in the coming week
Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany said early on Sunday that insurgent forces “fully liberated” Syria’s central city of Homs.
Government forces had abandoned the key city of Homs on Saturday after less than a day of fighting, leaving President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule dangling by a thread with insurgents also advancing towards the capital Damascus.
Since the rebels’ sweep into Aleppo a week ago, government defences have crumbled at dizzying speed as rebels seized a string of major cities and reignited a rebellion in places it had long seemed dead.
The fall of Homs and threat to the capital now pose an immediate existential danger to the Assad dynasty’s five-decade reign over Syria and the continued influence there of its main regional backer, Iran.
The most powerful insurgent leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, said in a statement that rebels were on the cusp of taking the whole country and “the end of the criminal regime is near”.
Assad’s government may be on the verge of collapse, foreign officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. One US official put the potential time frame at five to 10 days while another said Assad could be ousted in the coming week. A Western official agreed with the latter assessment.
