Syrian forces launch major offensive in Homs, as rebels seize more land

Syrian government forces on Friday carried out a significant military operation with Russia's air support in the northern countryside of Homs Province, targeting opposition-held areas, state media and a military statement said.

According to the Syrian Ministry of Defense, the "special operation" took place around the towns of al-Dar al-Kabira, Talbiseh and al-Rastan.

The ministry said that dozens of "terrorists" were killed and a large number of their vehicles and weapons destroyed. The offensive caused "panic, confusion and mass retreat" within opposition ranks, the statement added.

As the Syrian military pushed forward in the countryside, the governor of Homs, Nimr Makhlouf, accompanied by the city's police chief, conducted a late-night tour of bakeries in central Homs.

According to the state-run TV, Makhlouf urged the bakeries to maintain continuous operation to ensure a steady supply of bread, a move aimed at reassuring civilians amid the ongoing unrest. The governor also emphasized the province's round-the-clock efforts to keep essential services functioning.

Earlier in the day, heavy clashes broke out in parts of Syria's southern Daraa province as local armed groups seized multiple government-held positions.

Late Friday, Syrian opposition fighters claimed control of Daraa City, the provincial capital.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that armed groups now control approximately 80 percent of the province.

The latest developments in Daraa reflect a rapidly evolving situation, with local factions and militant groups taking advantage of emerging vulnerabilities.

On Friday evening, local armed groups in Syria's southern city of Sweida took control of the city's police headquarters and several other security compounds without a direct armed confrontation.

The groups, which claimed they aim to protect government and security facilities, were heavily deployed in central Sweida, including around the main state hospital, a Xinhua correspondent witnessed. Videos posted online show police officers vacating their stations peacefully.

Despite the absence of large-scale clashes inside the city, intermittent gunfire echoed through Sweida's streets, prompting a curfew and the shuttering of shops.

A member of one of the armed groups, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the security situation remained fragile.

At least two fighters from the Men of Dignity movement, one of the largest armed groups in Sweida, were reportedly killed in an exchange of fire near a military post, and four others were wounded, the source told Xinhua.

Saudi-funded Al Arabiya TV cited a source as saying that the armed groups in Sweida now control 70 percent of the city.

Amid the escalating conflict in Syria, both Lebanon and Israel have stationed troops along their borders with Syria, fearing the spillover of violence.

On the diplomatic front, Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh traveled to the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday.

During the meeting between al-Sudani and Sabbagh, the Iraqi prime minister highlighted Iraq's continued political and diplomatic efforts to maintain security in Syria, which is considered a key factor in the security of regional countries, according to a statement by al-Sudani's media office.

Al-Sudani also urged "neighboring Arab nations to coordinate their efforts in addressing regional challenges, particularly the current developments in Syria," the statement said.

On Thursday, rebel groups captured the city of Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, after seizing Aleppo and all of Idlib Province in northern Syria.