[Skybird]

[Neue Zürcher Zeitung] If the central Syrian city [Homs] falls, this could herald the end of the Asad regime. This is because Homs is located on a strategically important highway that connects Damascus with the Mediterranean coast and Asad's Alawite homeland. If the city is lost, the rebels will have a clear path to Damascus. The Damascus ruler's troops should therefore be preparing to advance by now at the latest.

However, there is little to suggest that the Syrian army will succeed. The demoralized, hollowed-out troops seem either unable or unwilling to oppose the onslaught of the rebel forces supported by Turkey and led by the Islamist organization HTS. Even a Russian airstrike on an important bridge halfway from Hama to Homs was unable to stop the rebels.

But Asad is facing further disaster: inspired by the success of the rebels in the north, opponents of the regime are now also rising up in the south of the country. Within a very short space of time, they attacked police and military positions in Daraa and Suweida and allegedly took control of Syria's border crossing to Jordan. In the east, Asad's troops also cleared the city of Deir al-Zur. As a result, the noose around Damascus is tightening ever tighter.