Thousands are fleeing the Syrian city of Homs as rebels advance

Tens of thousands of people have fled Syria's third-largest city, Homs, as rebels say they have reached its outskirts, a week after launching a lightning attack.

Rebels seized Hama in the north on Thursdaythe second major blow to President Bashar al Assad who lost control of Aleppo last week.

The leader of the Islamic terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, told the residents of Homs that “your time has come”.

Rebel forces launched the biggest offensive against the Syrian government in years last week.

They had been heading south, and Homs would be the next stop on the road to the capital Damascus.

Their offensive is the fastest-growing battlefield since Syria's civil war began 13 years ago, exposing the weakness of the country's military.

Terrified members of President Assad's minority Alawite community rushed out of Homs, with video footage showing streets filled with cars.

“Our forces liberated the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs and are now within its walls,” the Syrian group leading the offensive said on Telegram.

The BBC could not confirm the movement, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, previously reported that the rebels were within a few kilometers of the city.

SOHR said Russian warplanes bombed the nearby Rastan bridge in an attempt to slow the movement of rebels.

After the Syrian army lost control of Hama following several days of fighting, it is unclear whether they will be able to secure Homs.

The Ministry of Defense has denied claims that it has withdrawn troops from the strategic city, which links the capital Damascus to the Alawite stronghold on the Mediterranean coast.

Elsewhere, Kurdish-led forces said they had captured the city of Deir Ezzor, a major government stronghold in the country's eastern desert.

In the south, Jordan closed its border after an outbreak of violence from local armed groups.

Russian support has kept President Bashar al Assad in power during the civil war – but he has urged his people to leave.

The Alawites are a Shia Muslim minority from which the Assad family originates.

They have long formed a large base of support for the Assad regime, and are key to the president's hold on power.

Assad vowed to “crush” the rebels and accused the West of trying to redraw the region's map.

But commentators say his power is losing power, they are faced with low wages and corruption in the ranks. He announced a 50% wage increase in recent days, according to state news agency SANA.

Russia and Iran, the regime's most important allies, have announced continued support for Assad,

But they have never provided the kind of military aid that has so far supported his rule, and Moscow is now urging Russians to leave the country.

The Kremlin is preoccupied with its war in Ukraine, and Iran has been weakened by Israel's punitive campaign against its powerful ally, Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, whose fighters have been key to the regime's hold on Syria, are now largely absent from the battlefield, although reports in the Lebanese and Israeli press say small numbers have crossed the border to defend Homs.

Russian and Iranian officials are expected to meet their Turkish counterparts at the weekend to discuss a response to the outbreak of civil war in Syria.

Turkey supports other rebel groups and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been pressing Mr Assad for months to reach a political solution with the opposition.

He expressed support for the rebels' recent advances, saying the attack would not have happened if Assad had answered his calls.

Analysts say it probably wouldn't have happened without Ankara's knowledge and consent.

On the other hand, the leader of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, has been speaking publicly to soften his image and reassure both Syrians and foreign leaders.

He has emphasized his separation over the years from the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, portraying himself as opposed to attacks outside Syria, and promising protection for minority communities.

In an interview with CNN, al-Jawlani said the goal of the rebel forces was to overthrow the Assad regime and install a government that represents all Syrians.

More than half a million people have been killed since civil war broke out in 2011 after Assad's government violently crushed peaceful pro-democracy protests.

Since the attack began nine days ago, SOHR says more than 820 people, including 111 civilians, have been killed across the country.

Earlier, HTS fighters and their allies took over Hama and freed prisoners from its central prison amid heavy fighting, while the military said it had also sent troops outside the city.

Hama is home to a million people and is 110 kilometers south of Aleppo, which rebels captured last week.

Meanwhile the UN said the fighting “further exacerbates the dire situation for people in the north of the region”.

An estimated 280,000 people have been displaced, most of whom are women and children, while some citizens are trapped in frontline areas unable to reach safe areas.

In Aleppo, a city of two million people, some public services and critical institutions – including hospitals, bakeries, power stations, water, internet and communications – are disrupted or not functioning due to lack of supplies and staff.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on “all those with influence to do their part” to end the civil war.