Russia warns citizens they may need to leave Syria

Russia’s embassy in Damascus has warned its citizens they may need to leave Syria as rebel forces approach the city of Homs, with Bashar al-Assad’s regime struggling to slow their rapid offensive.

Russia, which has been supporting Assad’s government by targeting the rebel forces with air strikes, said its citizens could leave the country on commercial airlines via accessible and functioning airports.

The embassy and consulate continue to function as normal, it added.

“Due to the difficult military and political situation in Syria, the Russian embassy in Damascus reminds Russian citizens living in Syria of the possibility of leaving the country on commercial flights through operating airports,” the embassy said in a statement.

The rebels, led by Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, said on Friday that they were advancing south towards the strategic city of Homs, a day after seizing Hama.

A rebel commander said insurgents had taken control of a village 10km north of Homs, while pro-rebel media posted videos that claimed to show the insurgents entering the town of Al-Dar Al-Kabira only 5km away.

Homs lies along an important route that connects Damascus with the regime strongholds of Latakia and Tartus on the coast. Its fall to the rebels would mark another severe blow to the Assad regime, which acknowledged on Thursday that its forces had pulled out of the major city of Hama after the rebels took over.

Ali Mahmoud Abbas, the Syrian government’s defence minister, downplayed the withdrawals on state television on Thursday night, saying his forces were “in a good field position”.

“Our armed forces have worked on redeploying to preserve lives,” Abbas said. “Military operations, in the context of battle tactics, sometimes require repositioning and redeployment.”

Syrian and Russian warplanes targeted the rebels both north and south of Hama on Friday, the Syrian army said, claiming it had killed dozens of insurgent fighters.

Russian air strikes reportedly attempted to slow the insurgents’ advance by striking the Al-Rastan bridge, which lies on the Homs-Hama road.