Syrian Army repositions forces, armed groups take over Homs
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The Lebanese Army is reinforcing border areas in Homs amid the expansion of terrorists take-over of Syrian cities.
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A soldier from the Syrian Arab Army fires his assault rifle next to a flag of the country.
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) repositioned its forces in the city of Homs, a military source told the Russian news agency Sputnik, late on Saturday.
Later, Al Mayadeen's correspondent confirmed that the SAA, paramilitary forces, and allies of the Syrian government withdrew from the city of Homs. However, our correspondent affirmed that no clashes were recorded in or around the city before orders were given out to soldiers to withdraw.
News of the withdrawal comes amid an ongoing terror onslaught led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) that targeted multiple cities and towns across the country, including Aleppo, Hama, and Homs.
Sources told Al Mayadeen that armed groups infiltrated the city of Homs and took over every neighborhood in the city.
Meanwhile, our correspondent in Lebanon's Bekaa reported that the Lebanese Army has ordered reinforcements to the Hermel area, which borders Syria and is located around 40 km away from Homs.
Militants also announced that their forces took over the city of al-Qusayr near the border with Lebanon, as well as the towns of Madaya, al-Zabadani, and Baqin.
On the other hand, Syrian Arab Army forces were ordered to withdraw from mountainious areas overlooking the coastal city of Latakia and reposition themselves in the city itself, according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent.
Read more: SAA strengthens defense lines around Damascus as armed groups close in
Details of the withdrawal
A field source affiliated with the forces taking defensive positions in the city of Homs revealed the timeline of the withdrawal of the SAA and allied forces from city to Al Mayadeen.
According to the sources forces on the Homs front recorded no clashes for the past 72 hours, nor were any clashes recorded during the process of withdrawal.
At 8:00 pm (local time) on Saturday, paramilitary forces and allies of the Syrian Arab Army were ordered to evacuate the defensive positions they had taken up and hand them over to the SAA.
After the front was taken over by the Syrian Arab Army, the SAA requested that paramilitary and allied forces compeletly withdraw from the front.
At 9:00 pm (local time) the army also withdrew from the front. Meanwhile, no clashes were recorded at any point taken up by the SAA and a handing-over process ensued.
Later, paramilitary and allied forces were asked to withdraw to the city of Tartous, on Syria's coast, and to completly evacuate the Homs governorate.
Consquently, militants took over the city, announcing through the city's Mosques "the city’s residents of all sects and religions to practice their normal lives," local sources told Al Mayadeen.
Astana process calls from immediate cessation of hositilies
Amid high-level meetings in Doha, Qatar, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey on Saturday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and reiterated their commitment to preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Speaking at the 2024 Doha Forum, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed the necessity of dialogue between the Syrian government and groups recognized as legitimate opposition forces under the framework of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2254.
The joint call came after a meeting of the Astana Format foreign ministers on the sidelines of the forum.
Lavrov, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed measures to de-escalate violence in Syria and support the Syrian people.
"We strongly reiterated the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic. We called for an immediate end of hostile activities," Lavrov said, stressing that the path forward involves constructive dialogue under the framework of Resolution 2254.
In addition to addressing the broader conflict, Lavrov expressed the importance of normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey.
He outlined a series of proposals aimed at securing Syria’s borders and preventing terrorist activity while rebuilding diplomatic ties between the two nations.
"There is a series of ideas, which we want to put into practice to keep Syria territorially integral and united, while ensuring security of the border, which is porous, has been porous for terrorist attacks on the territory of Turkey … I have not the slightest doubt that the relations between Syria and Turkey must be normalized, and we will be doing anything to be helpful," Lavrov said.
Read more: Arab and Astana Process foreign ministers call for political solution
