“City of Khalid bin Al-Walid”... What is the strategic importance of Homs, the largest Syrian governorate?

The strategic importance of Homs city

• Before the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, Homs was a major agricultural and industrial center for Syria, relying on strategic crops such as grains and cotton. In heavy industries such as oil refining, the geographical location that facilitates internal and external trade has strengthened its economic position.
• Before the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, Homs was considered the economic lung of the country, as oil refineries, gas fields, and several industrial centers are located in its west and east.
• Homs is home to road and rail networks and industrial facilities, such as the oil refineries in Baniyas, making it an economic engine.

Homs in the Syrian Revolution

During the Syrian revolution, Homs became a major military fulcrum and was called the “capital of the revolution” or the “citadel of the revolution.” Following the massive popular protests in 2011, the Syrian regime took full control of the city center in 2014. Four years after this date, it imposed its full influence on the areas in its northern countryside (in 2018), including Talbiseh and Rastan, which the factions are now entering.

Homs has witnessed peaceful demonstrations since the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011, and quickly turned into an arena for fierce military confrontations. The most prominent battles:

• The Battle of Baba Amr: It was one of the first major battles between the armed opposition and the regime in 2012. During the month of February of that year, the regime launched a heinous military campaign that led to the deaths of nearly 1,000 Syrians and the injury of thousands. The massacre came on the day that coincided with the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Hama massacre that took place in 1982.
• Siege of Homs: Homs was subjected to the longest siege of the revolution, resulting in massive destruction and huge human losses. The siege lasted three years, from May 2011 to May 2014, and resulted in the opposition withdrawing from the city.

In May 2014, convoys of displaced people began to leave the old neighborhoods of Homs under an agreement with the regime, so that the city’s neighborhoods came under the regime’s complete control, with the exception of the al-Waer neighborhood, which was subjected to a severe siege and intermittent shelling that lasted for two years, until the regime forces launched a violent shelling campaign that forced the residents to submit to a new agreement that required evacuating it in batches and handing it over to the regime, with each batch including about 1,500 to 2,000 people.

• Because Homs is a major crossing to Lebanon, the Lebanese Hezbollah party has been desperate to control the city of Al-Qusayr in Homs, which is its main gateway to its areas in southern Lebanon, where the party has fought many battles there against the revolutionaries alongside the regime.
• The opposition’s control of Homs today means control of the supply lines between the coast and Damascus. Its location makes it the most dangerous arena for the conflict between the regime and the opposition, especially in neighborhoods such as Baba Amr and Khalidiya, and entering Homs paves the way for control of Damascus.

Source: Arabi Post