The insurgents’ stunning march through Syria accelerated on Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government troops had left central Homs. The government had to deny rumors that President Bashar al-Assad had fled the country.

The loss of Homs was a potentially serious blow to Assad. It lies at a key junction between the capital Damascus and the Syrian coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus – the Syrian leader’s base and the site of a strategic Russian naval base.

Pro-government news outlet Sham FM reported that government troops had taken up positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of various security agencies had withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels had entered parts of the city.

The insurgents announced later Saturday that they had taken over Homs. The capture of the city was a major victory for the rebels, who have already captured the cities of Aleppo and Hama and much of the south in a lightning offensive that began on November 27. Analysts said rebels losing control of Homs would be a game changer.

TRUMP urges us to stay out of the Syrian civil war, blaming Obama for the failure as Islamists close in on capital

The rebel movements around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of the southern part of the country and other areas, including several provincial capitals, remained under the control of opposition fighters.

For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government only has control of three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus.

The advances last week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaeda and is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations. In their push to topple Assad’s government, the insurgents led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) faced little resistance from the Syrian army.

The rebels’ rapid victories, coupled with a lack of support from Assad’s former allies, posed the greatest threat to his rule since the war began.

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen called on Saturday for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition”. Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s main international backer, said he felt “compassion for the Syrian people.”

In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon and tried to leave the country.

Many shops in the capital were closed, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open were running out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items for three times the normal price.

“The situation is very strange. We’re not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity for fear of retaliation.

“People are worried about whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.”

It was the first time opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area after a years-long siege. The United Nations said it was moving non-critical personnel out of the country as a precaution.

Assad’s status

Syrian state media denied social media rumors that Assad had left the country, saying he was carrying out his duties in Damascus.

He received little to no help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which once sent thousands of fighters to support Assad’s forces, has been weakened by years of conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region weakened by regular Israeli airstrikes.

US President-elect Donald Trump posted on social media on Saturday that the United States should avoid military involvement in Syria. Separately, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said the Biden administration had no intention of intervening there.

Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on implementing a 2015 U.N. resolution calling for a Syrian-led political process would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of an interim governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and finally elections supervised by the United Nations.

Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, met with Pederson on the sidelines of the Doha summit to discuss the situation in Syria.

In a statement, participants reiterated their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to an end to military activities and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase assistance to the Syrian people.

The march of the insurgents

Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters marched toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added.

An insurgent commander, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the messaging app Telegram that opposition forces had begun the “final phase” of their offensive by encircling Damascus.

HTS controls much of northwest Syria and established a “rescue government” in 2017 to manage day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to reshape the group’s image by cutting ties with al-Qaeda, abandoning hardline officials and embracing pluralism and religious tolerance.

The shock offensive began on November 27th. Gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth largest city.

Opposition activists said Saturday that insurgents had entered Palmyra a day earlier, home to invaluable archaeological sites that have been in government hands since they were kidnapped by the Islamic State group in 2017.

In the south, Syrian troops abandoned much of Quneitra province, including the capital Baath City, activists said.

The Syrian Observatory said government troops had withdrawn from large parts of the two southern provinces.

The Syrian army said in a statement it had regrouped and repositioned in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints were attacked by “terrorists.” The army said it was building a “strong and coherent defense and security belt in the region,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south.

The Syrian government has described armed opposition members as terrorists since the conflict broke out in March 2011.

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Diplomacy in Doha

The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey called for an end to hostilities at a meeting in Qatar. Turkey is one of the rebels’ main supporters.

Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad has not taken advantage of this opportunity to engage with his people and restore relations with them,” he said.

Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised at how quickly the rebels had advanced and said there was a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to begin a political process.