Syrian govt. troops gain ground in Homs clashes

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian government troops gained ground in clashes Friday, July 26 in two rebel-held neighborhoods in the central city of Homs, edging closer to a historic mosque and closing in on opposition fighters in the area, state TV and activists said, according to The Associated Press.

The advance came amid a wide offensive by President Bashar Assad’s forces, launched in late June, to try to recapture rebel areas in Homs, Syria’s third largest city.

In recent weeks, Assad’s troops have captured several nearby rebel-held areas, including the towns of Qusair and Talkalkh near the border with Lebanon.

State TV said Friday that troops advanced in Homs’ northern neighborhoods of Khaldiyeh and Jouret el-Shayah.

The report said the government forces were getting close to Khaldiyeh’s 13th-century mosque of Khalid Ibn al-Walid, famous for its nine domes and two minarets.

In Damascus, officials said pro-government troops were advancing in battles with rebel forces in the now mostly empty Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp. Clashes in the camp, which has mostly been under rebel control since last year, broke out earlier this week.