Following the fall of Hama on 5 December 2024, opposition forces positioned themselves approximately 40 kilometers from the
Homs city center. Government forces reportedly withdrew from
al-Rastan, while the city of
Talbiseh also fell from government control in the wake of opposition advancements. Opposition forces conducted drone strikes against the Syrian Arab Army's 27th Division near Tir Ma'la village. Still-loyal units from the north continued attempts to set up defenses before Hams, including remnants of Local Defence Forces from the Aleppo region. However, most pro-government units just melted away. One loyalist militiaman later bitterly argued that his comrades still fought, while the Syrian Army just fled and high-ranking officers defected to the insurgents. In an attempt to stop the rebel advances, the
Russian Aerospace Forces launched an
airstrike on the of
M5 Motorway across
Orontes River, which connects
Homs and Hama. By the afternoon, pro-government forces had reportedly completely withdrawn from Homs towards the city of
Latakia, with only local pro-government gunmen remaining in the
Shia majority neighborhoods of the city. The Syrian Defense Ministry denied these reports. Government forces called an airstrike against the Al-Rastan bridge on the Homs-Hama highway known as the M45 highway in an attempt to cut off both Hama and Homs from the opposition forces and also to slow the rebels advances. Airstrikes on Homs eastern suburbs killed 20 civilians. That day, Israeli airstrikes targeted two border crossings with Lebanon,
Arida and Jousieh in Al-Qusayr countryside in south-western Homs, which were used as weapons transfer hubs for pro-government
Hezbollah forces. Pro-government forces moved "large reinforcements" near Homs city that day and into the night of 7 December 2024. On 7 December 2024, HTS-led rebels had reached the outskirts of Homs city amid heavy fighting.
Hezbollah announced sending 2,000 fighters to
Al-Qusayr, but had not yet clashed with rebel forces. By afternoon,
Reuters reported that rebels entered suburbs of the city from the north and the east. By night, rebels took over Homs Central Prison in the northern part of the city, releasing hundreds of detainees. Dozens of Hezbollah fighters from the elite
Redwan force fled Homs after a decision made by the Syrian army that the city could no longer be defended. In a separate event, the US-backed
Syrian Free Army advanced in the eastern Homs countryside, opening a new front against the government. The rebels captured
Palmyra,
Al-Sukhnah and
Al-Qaryatayn. The rebels also captured the strategically located mountain Jabal al-Ghurab. By the early morning of 8 December 2024, the Syrian rebels declared that they had fully captured the city of Homs, effectively cutting
Latakia Governorate off from the rest of the country. Rebels continued their advance into Homs Governorate and captured Al-Qusayr, after hundreds of Hebzollah fighters crossed back into
Lebanon. Shortly after, the Israeli Air Force struck one of the Hezbollah convoys at the crossing. Some loyalist contingents attempted to retreat to Damascus to continue resistance, only to discover that the
capital had already fallen. == References ==