| 2024 Homs offensive | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the2024 Syrian opposition offensive during theSyrian civil war | |||||||||
.jpg) Map of the offensive in and outside ofHoms city Controlled by theSyrian Arab Republic Controlled by theSyrian opposition | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Ahmed al-SharaaHassan Abdul Ghani[6] |  Suhayl al-Hasan[7] | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | 2,000 fighters, 150+APCs (Hezbollah)[12][13] | ||||||||
The2024 Homs offensive was a military operation launched by forces of theSyrian Salvation Government (SSG) during the2024 Syrian opposition offensive, a phase of theSyrian Civil War. The operation was launched by theMilitary Operations Command following its capture ofHama on 5 December 2024 during the2024 Hama offensive. The offensive ended in the city being captured by opposition forces on the night of 7/8 December after government forces abandoned the city.[15]
On 5 November 2024, Israeli airstrikes targetedHezbollah weapon depots in Al Qusayr city.[16]
On 16 November 2024, a second round of Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah targets the al-Qusayr region occurred. Syrian military sites were also targeted. The strikes destroyed several bridges, including the one over theOrontes River that connects Qusayr and several towns in Homs' eastern and western countrysides.[17]
On 27 November 2024, Syrian opposition groups led byTahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive in northwestern Syria on the forces of theBashar al-Assad government. This marked the first major offensive by any faction in the conflict since theMarch 2020 Idlib ceasefire.[18]
On 5 December, opposition forces capturedHama.[19][20] Upon hearing the news of the rebel advance, thousands of residents of Homs fled the city as opposition forces pushed closer.[21]
Following the fall of Hama on 5 December 2024, opposition forces positioned themselves approximately 40 kilometers from theHoms city center. Government forces reportedly withdrew fromal-Rastan, while the city ofTalbiseh also fell from government control in the wake of opposition advancements. Opposition forces conducted drone strikes against the Syrian Arab Army's 27th Division near Tir Ma'la village.[9] Still-loyal units from the north continued attempts to set up defenses before Hams, including remnants of Local Defence Forces from the Aleppo region. However, most pro-government units just melted away. One loyalist militiaman later bitterly argued that his comrades still fought, while the Syrian Army just fled and high-ranking officers defected to the insurgents.[10]
Local militant groups captured the engineering battalion facility of the SAA on al-Rastan's outskirts, where they acquiredmilitary vehicles and ammunition supplies. SAR-aligned warplanes conducted approximately ten strikes targeting the northern periphery of al-Rastan and areas surrounding the main bridge connecting Hama to Homs. The SAA also struck rebel positions in Talbiseh with artillery fire and missiles for the first time in several years. SAA authorities established earthen barriers along the Homs-Hama highway approaching Talbiseh in order to isolate Rastan and Talbiseh from Homs city. A significant SAA convoy of over 200 vehicles carrying weapons and ammunition was redirected to Homs city to reinforce positions in the Al-Waer district and near military educational facilities.[22] In an attempt to stop the rebel advances, theRussian Aerospace Forces launched anairstrike on theAl-Rastan bridge [ar] ofM5 Motorway acrossOrontes River, which connectsHoms and Hama.[2]
On 6 December 2024, opposition forces captured Al-Rastan, Talbiseh andAl-Dar al-Kabirah, and approached the outskirts of Homs. Meanwhile, pro-government forces withdrew from several towns north of the city, includingTeir Maalah,Al-Zaafaraniyah,Al-Majdal,Deir Ful,Asilah, Farhaniyya, Al-Wazi'iya Al-Ghasibiyya, Al-Makramiyya andIzz al-Din.[23][24][25][26] By the afternoon, pro-government forces had reportedly completely withdrawn from Homs towards the city ofLatakia, with only local pro-government gunmen remaining in theShia majority neighborhoods of the city.[27] The Syrian Defense Ministry denied these reports.[28] Government forces called an airstrike against the Al-Rastan bridge on the Homs-Hama highway known as the M45 highway in an attempt to cut off both Hama and Homs from the opposition forces and also to slow the rebels advances.[29][30] Airstrikes on Homs eastern suburbs killed 20 civilians.[1]
That day, Israeli airstrikes targeted two border crossings with Lebanon,Arida and Jousieh in Al-Qusayr countryside in south-western Homs, which were used as weapons transfer hubs for pro-governmentHezbollah forces.[31]
Pro-government forces moved "large reinforcements" near Homs city that day and into the night of 7 December 2024.[6]
On 7 December 2024, HTS-led rebels had reached the outskirts of Homs city amid heavy fighting.[1] At least seven civilians were killed in airstrikes and artillery fire.[14]Hezbollah announced sending 2,000 fighters toAl-Qusayr, but had not yet clashed with rebel forces.[12] By afternoon,Reuters reported that rebels entered suburbs of the city from the north and the east.[32] By night, rebels took over Homs Central Prison in the northern part of the city, releasing hundreds of detainees.[33] Dozens of Hezbollah fighters from the eliteRedwan force fled Homs after a decision made by the Syrian army that the city could no longer be defended.[11]
In a separate event, the US-backedSyrian Free Army advanced in the eastern Homs countryside, opening a new front against the government. The rebels capturedPalmyra, Al-Sukhnah and the villages of Karyetin and Al-Qaryatayn. The rebels also captured the strategically located mountains Mount Gurab and Jabal al-Ghurab.[34][better source needed]
By the early morning of 8 December 2024, the Syrian rebels declared that they had fully captured the city of Homs, effectively cuttingLatakia Governorate off from the rest of the country.[5] Rebels continued their advance into Homs Governorate and captured Al-Qusayr, after hundreds of Hebzollah fighters crossed back intoLebanon. Shortly after, the Israeli Air Force struck one of the Hezbollah convoys at the crossing.[35][13] Some loyalist contingents attempted to retreat to Damascus to continue resistance, only to discover that thecapital had already fallen.[10]
Russian bombing overnight also destroyed the Rustan Bridge along the key M5 highway, to prevent rebels from using this main route to Homs city, a Syrian army officer told Reuters.
