(Zaman Al Wasl)- The Forth Corps, key rebel group in northern Homs, has refused Russia's surrender deal to give up their territory and to head northern Idlib province as regime forces wage major offensive on the last rebel stronghold in central Syria, activists said Wednesday.
The Russian offer is a similar to the Ghouta and Qalamoun's deals. Rebels must lay down their weapons and decide whether joining regime army or heading the Turkish-held area near the border.
The regime army's assault on the pocket between Homs and Hama - the most populous remaining besieged area in Syria - included both air strikes and artillery, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the war monitor.
Reinforcements had arrived in regime-held areas before the bombardment, which targeted Rastan, the biggest town in the pocket, and several nearby villages, the Observatory said.
Syrian rebels killed at least 150 militants loyal to Bashar al-Assad in Homs and Hama, since the offensive began two weeks ago
The Forth Corps commander urged Turkey to take a concrete step to halt the offensive since the northern Homs is a part of the de-escalation zone agreement.
Local activists reported that regime had closed Bab al-Kabira crossing, the main gate into northern Homs.
Syrian rebels hold large swathes of both northwest and southwest Syria. An alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the United States holds large parts of northern and eastern Syria after an offensive against Daesh (ISIS) last year.
Zaman Al Wasl
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