A military vehicle belonging to the Syrian regime forces and seized by anti government forces burns after it was hit by regime forces, in the Hama governorate, on December 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Islamist-led rebels entered Syria’s third city Homs late Saturday (December 7, 2024) taking control of some districts, a war monitor said, drawing a swift denial from the defence ministry.

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The loss of Homs would be another major blow to the forces of President Bahar al-Assad, as it lies at a strategic crossroads between Damascus and his stronghold on the Mediterranean coast.

“Rebel factions entered the city of Homs and took control of some neighbourhoods after the withdrawal of security forces and the army from their last positions in the city,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Hundreds of detainees had escaped from the city’s central prison, he added.

The defence ministry countered that the city remained under its control, its troops maintaining their positions around the city.

“The reports published by media platforms affiliated to terrorist organisations about the entry of terrorists into the city of Homs are baseless,” it said in a statement.

“The situation is secure and stable, and our armed forces are deployed around the city positioned on solid defence lines.”

AFP has been unable to independently verify some of the information provided by the government and the rebels, as its journalists cannot reach some of the areas where the rebels say they are present.