Syrian insurgents enter central towns, get close to city of Homs

Associated Press Beirut: Syrian insurgents entered two central towns early Friday just north of the central city of Homs, bringing them closer Syria's third largest city, an opposition war monitor and progovernment media both reported. The break into Rastan and Talbiseh came a day after opposition gunmen captured the central city of Hama, Syria's fourth largest, after the Syrian army said it withdrew to avoid fighting inside the city and spare the lives of civilians. The insurgents, led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al- Sham group, or HTS, have said that they will march to Homs and Damascus, President Bashar Assad's seat of power. The city of Homs, parts of which were controlled by insurgents until 2014, is a major intersection point between the capital, Damascus, and Syria's coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus where Assad enjoys wide support.

Homs province is Syria's largest in size and borders Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. Insurgents are now 5 kilometers (3 miles) away from Homs, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.“The battle of Homs is the mother of all battles and will decide who will rule Syria,” said Rami Abdurrahman, the Observatory's chief. Pro-government Sham FM said the insurgents entered Rastan and Talbiseh without facing any resistance.

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian military on whether it has withdrawn from the towns. State news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Syrian and Russian air force are attacking insurgents in Hama killing dozens of fighters. After the fall of Hama, opposition activists said that thousands of Homs residents who are loyal to Assad were seen fleeing.