Rebels announce overthrow of Assad government in Syria

Rebels entered the city and took over some neighborhoods. The action reportedly occurred after security forces hurriedly left the city after burning documents, Reuters reported. Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also stated that Syrian troops and members of different security agencies had left the city.

Prisoners were also released from the city’s central prison. A rebel alliance commander, Hassan Abdel Ghani, said that more than 3,500 prisoners had been freed — it was not possible to verify the veracity of this number.

A Syrian rebel military operations spokesman said that after Homs, they would head to Damascus. “There will be a new Syria based on justice. We are not facing a real army, but a militia,” he told Al Jazeera.

Offensive in Syria was launched by insurgents on November 27. They have already quickly taken control of Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, located in the northwest, and Hama in the center.

(With AFP, Deutsche Welle and Reuters)