Thousands flee as Syrian rebels push lightning offensive towards Homs

BEIRUT – Thousands of people fled the central Syrian city of Homs overnight and into the morning of Dec 6, as rebel forces sought to push their lightning offensive against government forces farther south.

The rebels have already captured the key cities of Aleppo in the north

and Hama in the centre

, dealing successive devastating blows to President Bashar al-Assad, nearly 14 years after protests against him erupted across Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said thousands of people began fleeing on the evening of Dec 5 towards Syria’s western coastal regions, a stronghold of the government.

A resident of the coastal area said thousands of people began arriving there from Homs, fearing the rebels’ fast-paced advance.

On the morning of Dec 6, Israeli air strikes hit two border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh said.

Russian bombing overnight also destroyed the Rustan bridge, along the key M5 highway, to prevent rebels from using this main route to Homs city, a Syrian army officer told Reuters.

“There were at least eight strikes on the bridge,” he added.

Government forces were working to beef up positions around Homs city with fresh reinforcements, he said.

Rebels led by Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have pledged to move on to Homs, a crossroads city that links the capital Damascus to the north and Mr Assad’s heartland along the coast.

“Your time has come,” said a rebel operations room in an online post, calling on Homs residents to rise up in revolution. REUTERS