Syria army makes progress in Homs

The Syrian army is making progress in its operation to retake control of the western city of Homs, Press TV reports.

Syrian forces on Saturday advanced into some areas of the city including Qusour, Jouret al-Shayah and Khaldiyeh, as well as some parts of Old Homs.

The army has eliminated a large number of terrorists and dismantled explosive devices in the operation.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops are also fighting foreign-backed Takfiri militants on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.

Reports say two mortar shells fired by the militants have hit two schools in Mazra’a and Amara areas in the capital, causing material damage.

The militants claim they have captured a military checkpoint in the southern city of Dara’a.

The Syrian army has conducted successful operations against the terrorists in recent weeks.

Foreign-sponsored militancy has taken its toll on the lives of many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has claimed that the army’s warplanes targeted militant positions in Homs on Saturday.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former US national security adviser, has said that the ongoing crisis in Syria, which erupted in March 2011, has been orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and their Western allies.

“In late 2011 there are outbreaks in Syria produced by a drought and abetted by two well-known autocracies in the Middle East: Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” Brzezinski said in an interview with the National Interest on June 24.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said on June 25 that Riyadh believes the al-Qaeda-linked groups in Syria should be armed, but weapons shipments to the Syrian government should be stopped.

Speaking at a news conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah, Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia was doing everything it can to help the militants in Syria.