Thousands flee Syrian city of Homs as Islamist-led rebels advance further

 

• Tens of thousands of people have been fleeing Syria's third largest city, Homs, as Islamist-led rebels make further advances

• A war monitor says rebel forces are now within striking distance of the city

• The rebels seized Hama to the north on Thursday, a second major blow to President Bashar al-Assad who lost control of Aleppo last week

• The rebels' goal is the overthrow of Assad's regime, the leader of the Islamist militant group HTS says in a CNN interview

• The rebel push is the largest offensive launched against the government in years, but a civil war has continued in Syria since the Arab Spring in 2011.

• 'We could see the end of the Assad regime' - international relations expertpublished at 11:31

  11:31

  Image source,Reuters

  The fall of Homs into the hands of the Syrian opposition could mark the end of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, according to an expert.

  Professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, Fawaz Gerges, tells the BBC the city is the "nerve centre" of the Assad government and its loss could make the capital, Damascus, "an easier target".

  "The state capacity has been degraded a great deal, the writing is on the wall," Gerges says.

  "If Assad’s forces don’t really repel the opposition from taking over Homs, I think we could see the end of the Assad regime in the next few weeks or next few months."

• The fall of Homs into the hands of the Syrian opposition could mark the end of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, according to an expert.

  Professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, Fawaz Gerges, tells the BBC the city is the "nerve centre" of the Assad government and its loss could make the capital, Damascus, "an easier target".

  "The state capacity has been degraded a great deal, the writing is on the wall," Gerges says.

  "If Assad’s forces don’t really repel the opposition from taking over Homs, I think we could see the end of the Assad regime in the next few weeks or next few months."

• FULL ARTICLES AND MORE AT: Syria latest: Anti-government rebels advance on strategic city of Homs