The extremist 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 rapidly 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 Hama and Homs 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.
Homs has a population of around one million. If the militias 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, among other things, gas pipelines and a refinery, according to experts.
Last week, the rebels took control of the city of Aleppo in a surprise offensive against regime forces.
Many on the Run
Since the extremist movement HTS launched its offensive last Wednesday, around 280,000 Syrians have been forced to flee, according to the UN, which fears that the number could rise to 1.5 million.
Israel announced on Friday that border security is being strengthened 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 are also closing most border crossings to Syria. At the border with Jordan, armed groups are reported to have taken over a border control post at Nassib, according to SOHR.
Corrected: An earlier version of the text contained incorrect information about who was behind the air strike on a bridge.
