Syrian Shelling in Rebel-Held Homs Kills at Least 20

Growing Dispute Over Central City of Homs in Recent Days

With the battle between the Syrian government and rebels splitting mostly along a north-south line, the central city of Homs is finding itself one of the main fronts.

20 more people were reported killed this weekend when Syrian military forces shelled one of the rebel-held districts in Homs. Activists say the toll could rise as a number of others were gravely wounded.

This comes just days after fighting late last week over the same district left 45 rebel fighters dead. The area under rebel control is increasingly surrounded by the military, and rebels have tried to launch several offensives to break the siege.

So far the attempts to break the siege haven’t gained much ground, but likewise the Syrian military doesn’t seem to be close to regaining control over rebel territory. As with other cities, the fight seems stalemated.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.