Their offensive was the fastest advance on the battlefield for both sides since the start of the Syrian civil war 13 years ago, exposing the weaknesses of their own troops.
Terrified members of President Assad’s Alfa minority are rushing to leave Homs, with video footage showing roads clogged with cars.
The Syrian forces that led the attack said on Telegram, “Our forces have liberated the last village on the outskirts of Homs and are now within the walls.”
The BBC could not confirm the movement, but Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) had previously reported that rebels were within a few kilometers of the city.
SOHR said Russian warplanes bombed a bridge near Rastan in an attempt to slow the rebels’ advance.
It is unclear whether Syrian forces will be able to defend Homs after losing control of Hama after days of fighting.
The Defense Ministry denied claims it had withdrawn troops from the strategic city linking the capital Damascus with Alawite centers on the Mediterranean coast.
Elsewhere, Kurdish-led forces said they had captured the city of Deir Ezzor, a key government stronghold in the vast desert of Kurdish east.
In the south, Jordan has closed its borders as violence by local armed groups intensifies.
Thanks to Russian support, President Bashar al-Assad has remained in power throughout the civil war but has appealed to his people to leave.
Alawites are a minority sect of Shia Muslims from the Assad family.
They have long formed the main support base for Assad’s rule and are key to the president’s grip on power.
Assad has vowed to “suppress” the rebels and has accused Western powers of trying to redraw the map of the region.
But analysts say he The military suffers from low morale, low pay and rank corruption. that A 50% pay increase has been announced in recent days, according to state news agency SANA.
Russia and Iran, the regime’s most important allies, have declared their continued support for Assad.
But they have not provided the kind of military support that has so far underpinned his rule, and Moscow is now urging Russians to leave the country.
