The extreme Islamist groups' advances in Syria are reported to have reached the important city of Homs. The offensive led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has quickly advanced south towards Syria's third-largest city.
According to the London-based Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR), regime forces withdrew from Homs on Friday afternoon. However, Syria's Defense Ministry denies the reports, which have not been confirmed.
Many residents are fleeing Homs and trying to reach Syria's coastal areas, where regime-loyal military still has control. Islamist groups have also taken over the cities of Tallbisah and Rastan. On Friday, reports also emerged that Kurdish forces are advancing in the province of Dayr al-Zor (Deir Ezzor).
Lightning Offensive
In an attempt to stop the advance, Syrian warplanes have struck a motorway bridge between Hama and Homs. The attack was an attempt to cut off the road between the cities to protect Homs, according to SOHR.
The Islamist rebels had previously taken control of the country's fourth-largest city, Hama, just north of Homs, as well as Aleppo in the initial offensive.
Homs has a population of around one million. If the militant Islamists take control of Homs, the capital Damascus will be cut off from President Bashar al-Assad's main strongholds on the coast, and the regime will lose control of, among other things, gas pipelines and a refinery, according to experts.
Iran announced late on Friday that it supports its close ally al-Assad and the Syrian government forces. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran supports Damascus "with whatever they need".
Many on the Run
Since extremist group HTS launched its offensive last Wednesday, at least 370,000 Syrians have been forced to flee, according to the UN, which fears that the number could rise to 1.5 million.
Israel has reinforced its border guard in the occupied Golan Heights, which borders Syria. In a statement, the Israeli military says it is "prepared for all scenarios, both offensive and defensive".
Lebanon and Jordan have also closed most border crossings to Syria. At the border with Jordan, armed groups are reported to have taken over a border control point at Nassib, according to SOHR.
Corrected: An earlier version of the text contained incorrect information about who was behind the air raid on a bridge.
