Tens of thousands flee homes in Homs as Islamist insurgents close in
Residents leave the city carrying their belongings in Hama, Syria, December 6, 2024
TENS of thousands of people have fled their homes in fear as Islamist insurgents close in on Syria’s third-largest city Homs.
Jihadist-led fighters seized two towns on the outskirts today, positioning themselves for an assault on the city, which would be a blow against President Bashar al-Assad.
Insurgents siezed Hama to the north on Thursday, with the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a veteran of al-Qaida In Iraq who spent years in US prisons, saying their goal is to make their way to the Syrian capital Damascus to overthrow the Assad regime.
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