Mahmoud al-Lawz, media activist, said at least 6 Shiite villages of Homs had formed al-Ridha brigade for Shiite fighters only without any participation from Alawite militants or regime forces.
The main target of the newly-formed militia is to attack the Sunni-dominated northern countryside of the city.
Meanwhile, people of the Sunni villages have expressed concerns over the imminent offensive since most Shiite villages have been imposing a security cordon since months.
In response, rebels have discussed possible scenarios, admitting the risks since all dominated Sunni countryside is surrounded by villages loyal to Bashar al-Assad regime.
The Syrian city of Homs, dubbed "the capital of the revolution" by rebels, has been a key flashpoint since the early days of the almost four-year-old revolt against Bashar al-Assad.
Homs also sits on a faultline of sectarian tensions within Syria. Mainly divided along confessional lines, Sunni, Alawite, Christian and mixed neighborhoods have co-existed uneasily.
Sunnis consider themselves to be the true natives of the city and never took kindly to the mass influx of Alawites -- members of a Shiite sect to which Assad also belongs -- to Homs and its surrounding districts since the late 1960s.
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