Syrian rebel fighters retreated from the city of Homs as government troops overran the center of anti-regime resistance after almost a month of artillery bombardment, according to reports by the Washington Post.
The Syrian military offensive came as the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that Syria had given it permission to enter Homs, under its 27th day of bombardment, to deliver supplies and evacuate the wounded. Troops were moving through the city’s Bab Amr neighborhood detaining all males older than 15, according to opposition activists cited by the Post.
Hours earlier, the United Nations Security Council issued its first unified statement on Syria in seven months, demanding that President Bashar al-Assad allow access for humanitarian aid. The Security Council statement was backed by Russia, possibly signaling a shift from its steady defense of Assad.
President Vladimir Putin told a British newspaper his country has no special relationship with Assad and Syrians should decide who leads them. Russia yesterday also backed a Security Council statement deploring “the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.” The non-binding measure avoided citing the Syrian regime as responsible for the “growing number of affected civilians.”
For more: Syria Reported to Take Homs on Rebels’ Retreat as Russia Backs UN Stance - Bloomberg
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