Rebels near capital to leave Assad regime on the brink

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's 24-year rule appears on the brink of collapse as Syrian rebels claim to be seizing full control of the vital city of Homs and advancing towards the capital Damascus.

- JABED AHMED, TOM WATLING

The insurgents, led by the jihadi group Hayat Tahrir alSham (HTS), said opposition forces have started the "final stage" of their offensive by encircling Damascus.

It is the first time opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when government troops recaptured the region adjacent to the capital following a yearslong siege.

Underscoring the possibility of an uprising in the capital, protesters in a Damascus suburb tore down a statue of Mr Assad’s father and smashed it to pieces. In other suburbs soldiers changed into civilian clothes and deserted their posts, residents said.

President Assad remains in Damascus, Syria’s state news agency said.

The insurgents have also entered the suburbs of Homs, according to residents and military sources. The rebels reportedly breached government defences from the north and east of the city. In the early hours of today, Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany said that insurgent forces "fully liberated" Syria's central city of Homs.

A rebel commander said they had also taken control of an army camp and villages outside the city.

The Syrian military, which has been reinforcing Homs and hammering the rebels with intense airstrikes, did not immediately comment on the reports.