We are getting reports in of fighting in the city of Damascus, which has reportedly been surrounded by rebel forces.

One resident told CNN that rebel fighters were in the neighbourhood of Barzeh and said that clashes were taking place.

"The electricity is cut off, and the internet is very weak, people are staying at their houses," the person is quoted as saying.

Reuters says it has spoken to two people, who have reported intense sounds of shooting - although it was not immediately clear where this was coming from.

As a reminder, about two hours ago rebels from the Islamist HTS group said they had taken full control of the city of Homs to the north of Damascus. Earlier in the day they said rebels were beginning to encircle the capital.

HTS began its offensive about a week-and-a-half ago and have taken control of several major cities since then.

We're pausing our coverage of fighting in Syria now but there's plenty more across the BBC if you'd like to know more about the situation:

• As rebel fighters enter Syria's third-largest city Homs, watch this video to see how quickly the anti-Assad fighters have captured large swathes of the country since 27 November when they launched a surprise offensive in the north-west
• Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has not been seen in recent days, with rumours swirling over his whereabouts, as BBC's Middle East regional editor Sebastian Usher writes
• Watch the moment protesters toppled a statue of Assad's father, the former president Hafez al-Assad, in the Jaramana neighbourhood of the capital Damascus
• And to get the latest updates, head over to our story about the ongoing fighting between rebels and Syrian military forces

BBC Monitoring

Ali Larijani, a senior aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discuss "ways to re-establish stability in the region" before Syrian rebels began closing in on Damascus.

Iranian officials have so far not commented on reports of the rebels' advance on Damascus but Iranian state TV Network Two issued a brief report on 7 December about Larijani's previously unannounced meeting with Assad.

An Iranian lawmaker earlier told media outlets that Larijani's visit to Damascus took place on 6 December. Yaghoub Rezazadeh, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Majlis, announced the visit without providing much detail other than expressing hope that diplomatic endeavours would "yield satisfactory results".

A separate report by the English-language news website Press TV cited an unnamed informed source, saying Larijani conveyed Tehran's support to Assad.

Helena Humphrey
reporting from Washington

The view from Washington today, according to three US officials, is that Damascus is expected to fall.

If that happens, it would appear to represent a significant step towards the end of the reign of the Assad family, which has held power since 1971.

Already, there’s talk of negotiations to address the escalating crisis, including efforts led by the UN in Geneva - though developments on the ground may well dictate an outcome before diplomacy does.

Switzerland, of course, has been here before. In 2014, I covered the Geneva II talks, which sought to broker a political solution to Syria’s bloodshed. For days, reporters trailed both sides through the halls of the Palais des Nations.

I still have notes from those fraught discussions, jotting down then how “delegates from opposing sides often refuse to speak directly to each other, often only passing messages to the UN envoy on scraps of paper”.

Back then, the US and Russia were engaged in a bitter blame game, too. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the US of using the talks as a pretext for "regime change". Meanwhile, then-Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia of “flooding Assad with weapons, enabling him to double down”. Ultimately, the talks collapsed.

Today, though, the dynamics have shifted. Russia is deeply entangled in its war in Ukraine. On Truth Social, US President-Elect Donald Trump weighed in over the weekend, writing: “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”

Washington is preparing for a change in administration, signalling what could be a far more hands-off approach to Syria compared to a decade ago.

What that means for the Syrian people remains an open question.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The capture of Homs by the rebels is a significant moment in their astonishing offensive against President Bashar al-Assad. They are isolating the capital Damascus, the seat of his power, from the rest of the country, including his Alawite heartland on the coast.

As they advance from the north, east and south, it is becoming very difficult for government forces to defend his regime. Elsewhere, the military has been unable - and, in some areas, apparently unwilling - to stop the fighters, with soldiers defecting or abandoning their positions. It is still not certain, however, whether the rebels will continue to advance without strong resistance.

Earlier, in a suburb of Damascus, protesters toppled a statue of the president’s late father, Hafez, smashing it to pieces, a scene of discontent that was unthinkable just days ago. This could indicate that unrest could happen inside the city, too.

Homs also represents a symbolic victory. This was a stronghold of the opposition in the early years of the civil war, which started in 2011, when Assad launched a crackdown on peaceful protests against his rule. Parts of it were under siege for three years, before the government reclaimed the whole city as part of a UN-brokered deal in 2015.

A lot of people will be happy to see President Assad go - and his fall may be just a matter of time. But there is the obvious question about what happens next. This insurgency is being led by Islamist rebels from a group known as HTS. Their roots are in al-Qaeda and, for years, they have been trying to rebrand themselves as a nationalist force.

But many are not convinced - they say they remain an extremely violent organisation and are concerned about what might come next.

The offensive launched by anti-government forces more than a week ago is seeing large swathes of Syria falling to rebel groups, so let's have a look at where the fighting is happened.

Reports say rebel forces are closing in on Damascus and the rebels have announced that they have captured the city of Homs.

Last week, rebels seized the second-city of Aleppo in the north-east as well as Idlib and Hama, while in southern Syria most of the Deraa region has also fallen to a different rebel group.

Syria, with a population of about 22 million, sits on the east coast of the Mediterranean sea, sharing borders with Turkey to the north, Lebanon and Israel to the west and southwest, Iraq to the east and Jordan to the south.

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

The UN’s Special envoy for Syria, Geir Pederson, has told the BBC he believes a negotiated way out of Syria’s escalating crisis is still possible but he also warned it could also go terribly wrong once more in Syria. He was speaking after he emerged from a meeting with Arab foreign ministers who’ve flown into the Qatari capital Doha to meet with their counterparts from Iran, Turkey and Russia – the three major outside powers involved in Syria.

Pederson described the mood of these emergency talks as being marked by “a lot of nervousness” as rebel forces close in on Damascus. But he said there was a consensus that there was a still a chance to find a negotiated way out.

“It is potentially very messy, potentially very dangerous,” he admitted. “But there is also a potential way out.”

He said various countries were in contact with the rebel forces to convey the need to avoid bloodshed and chaos.

Sources at the meeting say the big question now is what President Assad will do – will he go down fighting or will he take up offers from a number of countries to help him flee?

Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) says it has captured Homs, Syria's third largest city.

In a video post on Telegram, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani says: "We are living in the final moments of the liberation of the city of Homs... this historic event that will distinguish between truth and falsehood."

Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani says that insurgent forces have "fully liberated" Syria's central city of Homs.

Syria's Islamist rebel leader al-Jolani says it is a "historic moment" and calls on his fighters not to harm "those who drop their arms".

Dima Babilie
BBC Arabic

As rebels advance closer to Damascus, many Syrians are anxiously anticipating the potential liberation of Saydnaya prison, one of the most notorious detention centres in Syria.

Often described as a place where political prisoners "enter but never leave", Saydnaya is infamous for systematic torture, inhumane conditions, and mass executions, as documented by Amnesty and other human rights organisations.

For some, like 27-year-old journalist Samer Daboul, the wait for news is deeply personal. Daboul tells me the story of his uncle, a man who shaped his life and his family’s values.

"He was one of the most influential people in my life," Samer says, "he taught me about Syria’s history, the revolution, and why it was necessary".

His uncle was arrested in Aleppo in 2012 while smuggling bread to besieged areas and was reportedly transferred to Saydnaya. Since then, the family has heard nothing.

"I want him to know that the young man he inspired 12 years ago is now a journalist reporting on Syria, Daboul says, adding "I want him to be proud of me".

With Saydnaya located just 30km north of Damascus, Syrians are taking to social media, urging rebel forces to act swiftly to reach the prison.

Many hope for news about their loved ones who have vanished into the prison’s walls over the years, clinging to the possibility that someone they love might still be alive.

In a social media post just moments ago, a rebel commander says more than 3,500 prisoners from Homs military prison have been freed.

"We renew our pledge to our people to free all detainees from the prisons of tyranny," says the post from rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani's account on X.

The news comes as Reuters news agency reports that thousands of people are celebrating in Homs, chanting and demanding the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Matt Spivey
Live page editor

We're hearing conflicting reports from rebel groups and the Syrian military over who is in control of the key city of Homs.

So, who's saying what?

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, anti-Assad fighters entered the city of Homs and "took control of several neighbourhoods".

Rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani says his troops are combing the neighbourhoods of Homs ahead of declaring the city "completely liberated".

Meanwhile, it has been reported that dozens of fighters from Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces fled the Syrian city of Homs, a decision reportedly made with the military, a Syrian army officer tells Reuters.

However, Syria's defence ministry said that news "about terrorists entering the city of Homs is unfounded", adding that "armed forces are deployed around the city, positioned in strong defensive lines reinforced with various types of weapons".

The Syrian army says it's bolstering defences around the capital, contradicting reports its forces had withdrawn from some areas.

The BBC has not yet been able to verify claims that rebel groups have taken control of Homs.

In the last few minutes, it has been reported that dozens of fighters from Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces fled the Syrian city of Homs.

It says a decision was taken with the Syrian army that the city could no longer be defended, a Syrian army officer told Reuters on Saturday.

• For context: President Assad came to rely heavily on Russian airpower and Iranian military help on the ground - mainly through militias sponsored by Tehran - these included Hezbollah.

Rebel forces in Syria - aiming to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's regime - say they have seized several neighbourhoods in the country's third largest city Homs.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, anti-Assad fighters entered the city of Homs and "took control of several neighbourhoods" after Syrian military forces withdrew from their positions.

The war monitor also says officers at the central prison in Homs opened its doors amid "fears that prisoners will be used as human shields by regime forces".

Rebels have seized large swathes of Syria since taking control Aleppo in the north-west last week, and seizing Hama as well as Deraa in the south.

Image source, EPA

Following a meeting in Doha today to discuss Syria, five Arab countries along with Russia, Iran and Turkey say a political solution is needed to stop the fighting and protect civilians.

In a joint statement, the group said the current crisis posed a threat to regional and international security.

Rebel groups - led by Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise offensive on 27 November and have since seized several major cities in Syria. It is also reported that they are closing in on the capital Damascus.

Reuters is quoting residents, rebel sources and Syrian army sources as saying that a variety of army personnel have withdrawn from the key city of Homs, parts of which the rebels have already entered.

Security personnel from the main security headquarters in Homs were seen fleeing on motorbikes, residents told the news agency.

Meanwhile dozens of army vehicles were seen leaving on the main highway out of the city, rebels sources told Reuters. A convoy had reached a bridge south of the city, the army source said.

Homs is strategically significant because it straddles a crossroads that leads west to the heartland of support for the Assad regime and south towards the capital Damascus.

David Gritten
BBC News

Image source, US STATE DEPARTMENT

Pro-opposition Aleppo Today TV is citing the Turkey-based Association of Detainees and The Missing in Sednaya Prison (ADMSP), external as urging caution about the reports about Saydnaya prison - where thousands of opposition supporters are said to have been tortured and executed.

The association reportedly said that no rebel factions were besieging the prison and warned relatives of detainees to be careful about approaching it themselves because there are anti-tank and anti-personnel minefields.

In a 2022 report, ADMSP said Saydnaya prison “effectively became a death camp” after the start of the civil war, external.

It estimated that more than 30,000 detainees had either been executed or died as a result of torture, lack of medical care or starvation at the facility between 2011 and 2018. It also cited released inmates as saying that at least another 500 detainees had been executed between 2018 and 2021.

ADMSP also described how “salt chambers” were constructed to serve as primitive mortuaries to store bodies before they were transferred to Tishreen Military Hospital in Damascus for registration and burial in graves on military land. The detainees’ families were never given their bodies, it said.

Lina Sinjab
BBC News, Beirut

Residents in the key city of Homs have confirmed to the BBC that rebels are now in Khaldieh neighbourhood, once a hotspot of protests against Bashar al-Assad’s power. They have been hearing sporadic firing.

The resident I spoke to is from the city’s Alawite community who opposes Assad and chose to stay in the city. The Alawites are a minority sect of Shia Muslims from which the Assad family originates. They have long formed a major support base for Assad rule, and are key to the president’s grip on power.Thousands have fled Homs in recent days.

The resident is in a WhatsApp group with members of the community outside Syria who are in contact with the rebels. The rebels are said to have given assurances that Alawites in Homs will be protected but they should stay indoors until further notice.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said it's inadmissible to allow a group he described as terrorists to take over Syria.

Lavrov was speaking after meeting his counterparts from Iran and Turkey in Qatar. Russia has been an ally of President Bashar al-Assad and intervened to enable him to stay in power almost a decade ago.

But it has not provided a similar level of military support in the past week.

Speaking to reporters, Lavrov said the offensive by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham had been "long-planned and is an attempt to change the situation on the ground, to change the balance of power".

He added that Moscow would "oppose this in every possible way".

Staying on the issue of chemical weapons, Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) says it has no plans to use chemical weapons controlled by Syrian authorities "under any circumstances", according to reports from Reuters news agency.

HTS is the group leading the anti-government offensive that started last week, seizing Aleppo on 27 November after a surprise attack in the north-west, and later taking Hama, Deraa.

Recent reports say rebels are closing in on the capital Damascus and have entered Homs, Syria's third largest city.

Designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN, US, Turkey and other countries, the group was set up initially as Jabhat al-Nusra as a direct affiliate al-Qaeda. In 2016, the group broke ranks with al-Qaeda and renamed itself HTS, along with other similar groups in 2017.