Syrian rebel assault widens as Assad races to defend Homs

Insurgents say they have seized most of the south, raising fears of regional instability

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AMMAN/BEIRUT - Syrian rebels pressed their lightning advance on Dec 7, saying they had seized most of the south, as government forces dug in to defend the key central city of Homs to try to save President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year rule.

Since the rebels swept into Aleppo on Nov 29, government defenses have crumbled across the country at dizzying speed as the insurgents seized a string of major cities and rose up in places where the rebellion had long seemed over.

Besides capturing Aleppo in the north, Hama in the center and Deir al-Zor in the east, rebels said they have taken southern Quneitra, Deraa and Suweida and advanced to within 50km of the capital Damascus.

Government defenses were focused on Homs, with state television and Syrian military sources reporting massive air strikes on rebel positions and reinforcements arriving to dig in around the city.

Meanwhile, the rebels extended their control to almost the entire south-west and said they had captured Sanamayn on the main highway from Damascus to Jordan. The Syrian military said it was repositioning, without acknowledging territorial losses.

The pace of events has stunned Arab capitals and raised fears of a fresh wave of regional instability, with Qatar saying on Dec 7 that this threatened Syria's territorial integrity.

Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Mr Assad's rule, dragged in big outside powers, created space for militants to plot attacks around the world and sent millions of refugees into neighboring states.