After taking two cities, Syrian rebels set their sights on Homs

After taking two cities, Syrian rebels set their sights on Homs

Syrian rebels continued to make gains in the north of the country, as they put the central city of Homs in their sights on Friday.

A day earlier, the Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS gained control of Hama, Syria’s fourth-largest city, dealing another blow to President Bashar al-Assad less than a week after his forces ceded Aleppo in the face of the lightning rebel advance.

HTS’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, told CNN in an interview published Friday that “the goal of the revolution remains the overthrow of this regime.”

Overnight, the Israel Defense Forces also carried out strikes on weapons transfer hubs in Syria near the Lebanon border, IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on social media. The strikes were aimed at hindering the capabilities of Hezbollah’s armament unit responsible for transferring weapons “intended for carrying out terrorist plots” against Israel, he said.
Here are other key developments

The International Rescue Committee warned that severe flooding and dropping temperatures are creating dire conditions in Gaza, where “families are struggling to survive in makeshift shelters that barely protect them from the bitter cold,” Bart Witteveen, the IRC’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said.
Negotiators signaled Thursday that serious efforts are underway to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza, though sticking points remain. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting in Malta that Israel perceives an opportunity to advance a deal for the release of hostages in Gaza and is committed to pursuing it.
At least 44,580 people have been killed in Gaza during the war and 105,739 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. At least 4,047 people have been killed and 16,638 injured in Lebanon, its Health Ministry said at a news conference on Wednesday. Neither agency distinguishes between civilians and combatants.
Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, including more than 300 soldiers. It says 380 soldiers have been killed in its military operation in Gaza and at least 77 in its war with Hezbollah.

Source » msn