Eight rebel groups operating in northern rural Homs have formed a coordination unit to unified military efforts to halt advances of regime troops and their allies, according to statement issued Wednesday.
Rebels who seek more coordination on the battle ground have been facing a major aerial and ground offensive by loyalists of Bashar al-Assad who flew to Moscow on Tuesday evening to personally thank Russia's Vladimir Putin for his military support, in a surprise visit that underlined how Russia has become a major player in the Middle East.
It was Assad's first foreign trip since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011, and came three weeks after Russia launched a campaign of air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria that has also bolstered Assad's forces, Reuters reported.
Putin said he hoped progress on the military front would be followed by moves toward a political solution in Syria, bolstering Western hopes Moscow will use its increased influence on Damascus to cajole Assad into talking to his opponents.
The Assad army backed by fighters from Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah have launched a series of ground offensives against insurgent-held areas of western and northwestern Syria since Russia began air strikes in the country on Sept. 30.
The northern countryside side of Homs has occurred to severe aerial campaign, more than 370 people have been killed in Russian air strikes , monitoring groups said, mostly from Homs.
On Wednesday, Russian renewed air strikes on al-Rastan, Talbiseh and Teir Malla towns
Iran has also long been a strong Syrian government ally, and the fact that Assad chose to visit Moscow before Tehran is likely to be interpreted in some circles as a sign that Russia has now emerged as Assad's most important foreign friend.
Zaman Al Wasl
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