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Tens of thousands of people are fleeing Syria’s third-largest city Homs as rebels claim to have reached its outskirts, just over a week since they launched their lightning offensive.
The rebels seized Hama to the north on Thursday, a second major blow to President Bashar al-Assad who lost control of Aleppo last week.
The leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, told residents of Homs “your time has come”.
Rebel forces began the biggest offensive against Syria’s government in years last week. They have been advancing south, and Homs would be the next stop on the road to the capital Damascus.
Their offensive is the swiftest battlefield advance by either side since the Syrian civil war began 13 years ago, exposing the weakness of the country’s military.
Terrified members of President Assad’s Alawite minority community are rushing to leave Homs, with video footage showing roads jammed with cars.
“Our forces have liberated the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs and are now on its walls,” the Syrian faction leading the assault said on Telegram.
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