The Syrian armed opposition announced its control over the cities of Rastan, Talbiseh, and the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs, and issued a “final call” to the regime forces in the city to “defect,” while the Syrian army sought to break the opposition’s advance by bombing the Rastan Bridge leading to the city.
The opposition broadcast pictures of the moment its forces entered the two cities, which are about 20 kilometers south of the city of Hama. It is also 12 kilometers from the city center of Homs.
Reuters quoted a Syrian regime army officer as saying that the Russian bombing on the night of Thursday to Friday destroyed the Rastan Bridge along the main road to Homs, to prevent what it described as rebels from using it to advance.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported that Syrian and Russian warplanes bombed Al-Rastan Bridge in the northern countryside of Homs for the sixth time in a row, with the aim of preventing opposition factions from reaching the city.
The regular army officer explained that at least 8 strikes targeted the bridge, and that Syrian government forces sent reinforcements to sites around Homs.
A short while ago, the Syrian armed opposition announced its control of the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs, and issued a “last call” to the regime forces in the city to “defend.”
advertisement
It is noteworthy that the city of Homs was the first city to be displaced by the Syrian army forces in an agreement sponsored by the United Nations in mid-2014.
This comes after the Syrian armed opposition announced its complete control over the city of Hama in the center of the country, after successfully completing combing operations there, she said.
Al Jazeera was able to enter the Hama military airport after the opposition forces were able to extend their control over it after entering the city of Hama yesterday.
Al Jazeera correspondent Suhaib Al-Khalaf monitored the conditions inside the airport, which is considered one of the most important military airports that the Syrian forces relied on to suppress opposition demonstrations in the cities of Hama, Idlib and Aleppo.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent said that Syrian opposition fighters deployed at the entrances to the city of Hama, its main streets, and the military barracks adjacent to it, and established military barriers at the entrances to the city to protect the population.
The reporter pointed out that the opposition fighters temporarily closed government departments to protect public property from any tampering, as they put it.
Raids on the Hama countryside
On the other hand, the official Syrian News Agency (SANA) said that the Syrian army is carrying out specific operations towards Al-Dar Al-Kabira, Talbisah and Al-Rastan in the Homs countryside, with Russian aviation coverage.
SANA quoted a military source as saying that army forces killed and wounded dozens of what it described as terrorists following Syrian and Russian raids and artillery and missile shelling that targeted their gatherings in the northern and southern countryside of Hama.
The strikes also resulted in the destruction of their vehicles and vehicles, according to the military source.
The military source also denied the withdrawal of the Syrian Ministry of Defense forces from the city of Homs, and said that they are deployed in Homs and its countryside on fixed and solid defensive lines, and have been reinforced with additional huge forces equipped with various types of equipment and weapons, and are ready to repel any terrorist attack, as he put it.
Withdrawal from Deir ez-Zor
In a parallel context, the Syrian regime handed over – on Friday – the center of Deir ez-Zor Governorate in the east of the country to the Syrian Democratic Forces.
advertisement
Local sources reported that the Syrian regime began withdrawing its forces deployed in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, coinciding with the opposition factions approaching the city of Homs (central).
Earlier, the regime withdrew its forces from 7 villages in Deir ez-Zor and handed them over to the SDF, which are located on the “strategic corridor” that connects Iran to Lebanon via Iraq and Syria.
The Syrian regime forces also withdrew from Deir ez-Zor military airport and handed it over to the Syrian Democratic Forces.
For its part, the Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the deployment of its members in the city of Deir ez-Zor and west of the Euphrates in eastern Syria after the Syrian army withdrew from it.
Reuters quoted two Syrian military sources as saying that the Albukamal border crossing with Iraq is currently controlled by SDF forces.
In Damascus, the Syrian capital was attacked on Friday by suicide drones targeting Umayyad Square, which includes the radio and television building and the Ministry of Defense building.
Local sources reported to Anadolu Agency that the attack was carried out by factions opposed to the Syrian regime, while no official statement was issued by the Syrian regime about the aforementioned attack.
On the other hand, field reports reported that sounds of heavy gunfire were heard in Damascus.
Opening roads
In the same context, the Syrian Civil Defense said that its teams worked to open dozens of roads closed by dirt barriers and the rubble of bombing and battles in cities and towns in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib after the opposition forces took control of them.
The Civil Defense explained that opening roads and removing rubble comes as part of a campaign it launched under the name “Hope for Returnees,” which aims to create conditions for the displaced to return to their cities and towns, as he put it.
The Civil Defense deployed part of its teams’ work in the cities of Khan Shaykhun and Maarat al-Numan in the southern countryside of Idlib.
On the other hand, local sources told Al Jazeera that Syrian opposition fighters and civilians in Daraa Governorate carried out individual attacks against checkpoints, police stations, and headquarters of Syrian regime forces in several areas.
advertisement
The sources explained that the oppositionists attacked the Daraa al-Balad crossing, which is a closed crossing and is considered a checkpoint for the Syrian regime forces.
The sources indicated that members of the Syrian regime handed over their weapons, checkpoints, and military points to opposition fighters and residents in several towns in Daraa Governorate after they were attacked.
The sources added that a demonstration took place in several cities and towns of Daraa Governorate in support of the operation to deter aggression.
It is noteworthy that the opposition’s military operations department, which is currently leading the battles in the Homs countryside, has not officially announced any of its work in southern Syria, including Daraa.
Syrians went out in solidarity with the armed opposition in the city of Busra al-Sham in the eastern countryside of Daraa.
South Operations Room
On the other hand, Syrian opposition factions announced the establishment of the “Southern Operations Room” in the governorates of Daraa, Quneitra, and Suwayda in southern Syria.
In the first statement of the Operations Room, today, Friday, it was emphasized to ensure the security of the country’s southern borders, and to work to ensure security and stability in the southern regions.
The statement called on the international community to support the decision of the Syrian people to gain their freedom and dignity and build their civil state.
The Southern Operations Room asked the soldiers and officers of the regime’s army to defect.
The opposition factions in Daraa, Suwayda, and Quneitra reached an agreement with the “Eighth Brigade” established by the Russian forces in Daraa (consisting of elements who had made settlements with the regime) to form a joint operations room against the regime forces.
Local factions in As-Suwayda confirmed that their forces are engaged in battles with regime forces in the Al-Qalaa barracks in the city of As-Suwayda in the south of the country, announcing the imposition of a curfew in the city of As-Suwayda for 24 hours.
She added that she took control of 5 tanks after taking control of military points in the city, and also entered the leadership of the ruling Baath Party branch in the city.
advertisement
She also said that more than 250 members of the regime forces defected during today’s battles throughout the governorate.
The factions announced their control over a number of military points belonging to the Syrian regime and a tank in the town of Al-Qurayya and its environs.
It confirmed the withdrawal of security personnel from the police headquarters building in the center of the city of Suwayda, and added that it attacked regime forces at the Shahba checkpoint north of the city.
New control
In the same context, the Syrian opposition announced its control of the strategic Tal al-Hara site in the Daraa countryside in the south of the country after confrontations with regime forces.
Two sources from the Syrian armed opposition told Reuters that local opposition factions took control of one of the main army bases in Daraa Governorate, known as the 52nd Brigade, near the town of Al-Harak, while the fighting extended to the country’s southern border with Jordan.
The Military Operations Department of the Syrian opposition factions announced control of military points in the town of Aqraba and on Tal Al-Hash, east of the city of Nawa in the western countryside of Daraa.
It added that it took control of the town of Jubailiya in the western countryside of Daraa, and also captured several members of the regime forces.
The armed opposition began its attack last week, which it called “deterring aggression,” and announced that the goal of the operation was to enable the displaced to return to their areas and repel what it called the aggression of the Syrian regime forces and their allied factions.
