The advance of the Syrian rebels continues and continues to steal territory from the regime of Bashar al-Assad, while neighboring countries have closed the main border crossings and Israel has announced the strengthening of its troops in the Golan Heights. The fighters, led by the Islamists of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Hts), after having taken Aleppo and Hama, are now aiming for Homs.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London but with a vast network in the Middle Eastern countrythe rebels “entered the cities of Rastan and Talbisseh”located in the province of Homs, in the total absence of the army, and were now five kilometers from the fourth largest city in the country. The Ministry of Defense in Damascus denied this, claiming that “there is no truth in the news… about the withdrawal of the army from Homs”.
With the advance of the rebels in the center of the country, government forces, together with pro-Iran militias, withdrew from the areas they controlled in the province of Deir Ezzor, in the north-east, leaving the field to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led by the Kurds and supported by Washington. “To protect our people, our fighters from the Deir Ezzor Military Council have been deployed in the city of Deir Ezzor and west of the Euphrates River,” they confirmed.
The clash also flares up in the far south of Syria where, according to what Reuters reports citing rebel sources, armed groups have taken a military base in the province of Daraa, near the city of Herak, and control of the Nasib border crossing, on the border with Jordan, where dozens of vehicles and passengers they were stuck. In the southern city of As-Suwayda, at least three people died in clashes between Druze militias and Syrian security forces. Anti-government fighters also took control of the main police station and the largest civilian prison hours after hundreds of people protested in the main square calling for Assad’s fall.
Meanwhile, both Beirut and Amman have closed border crossings, only Masnaa, the main hub that connects the Lebanese capital with Damascus, in the Beqaa valley, remains operational. The Country of Cedars cut connections a few hours after an Israeli air strike damaged the al-Arida border crossing with Syria, in the far north of Lebanon. The Israeli military confirmed the raid, claiming that the border posts were used to transfer ammunition to Hezbollah.
The Jewish State’s own armed forces have announced the strengthening of troops in the Golan Heights on the border with Syria, saying they are “prepared for any attack and defense scenario”. “We will not allow a threat near Israel’s border,” they assured.
Diplomatic front
On the diplomatic front, the Foreign Ministers of Iran, Russia and Türkiye will meet in Doha tomorrow, Abbas Araghchi, Serge Lavrov and Hakan Fidanin an attempt to revive the Astana process in light of the latest developments in Syria. The format, which replaced the process carried out in Geneva under UN auspices, has demonstrated its fragility over the years: Russia and Iran aimed to consolidate Assad’s power to prevent the country from ending up under American influence. For its part, Turkey, which has not had relations with Damascus since 2011, has always given priority to the containment of the Kurdish-Syrian organization YPG. It is also vital for the Turkish government to avoid flows of refugees which would cost the party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the support.
Own the Turkish leader today once again urged Assad to «establish a dialogue with his people and the opposition. And it must do so urgently if it wants to end the conflict through a political solution.” Stressing that he never received a response from Assad to his overtures, Erdogan “hoped” that the advance of the rebels in Syria “will continue without incidents”, after the conquest of “Idlib, Hama and Homs”, with Damascus as the natural objective.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, the leader of HTS, Abu Mohamed al Jolani, confirmed that the objective of the rebel coalition is “ultimately to overthrow the authoritarian president Bashar al-Assad”. «The Iranians tried to revive the regime, buying it time, and later the Russians also tried to support it. But the truth remains the same: this regime is dead,” he stressed, referring to plans to create a government based on institutions and an “elected council.”
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein confirmed his intention to keep the country out of the conflictor: «The need» is to «protect the Iraqi territory and borders and to distance Iraq from any terrorist attack», he stated in a meeting with his Syrian and Iranian counterparts, adding that «all Iraqi security forces are in a state of maximum alert.”
For his part, Araghchi assured that Iran will continue to support the Syrian regime and provide “everything it needs”, defining the offensive a “threat” for the entire Middle East. As for the head of diplomacy in Damascus, Bassam al-Sabbagh, he denounced a new plan to “division” the region. The three agreed to continue consultations and coordination regarding developments in Syria, underlining the need to mobilize all Arab, regional and international efforts to reach peaceful solutions.
According to data provided by the WFP’s emergency director, Samer Abdel Jaber, the fighting so far has displaced 280,000 people, with fears that it could increase to 1.5 million.