Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has expanded
its campaign against Sunni rebels.

Rebel sources said Assad’s military, backed by Hizbullah and Iranian
advisers, has attacked the central city of Homs.

The sources said the military used fighter-jets, helicopters, main battle tanks and artillery to pound suspected strongholds in Homs, long regarded as a hub for the revolt against Assad.

“The attack appears well-coordinated and massive,” a rebel said.

The offensive against Homs was said to have been launched on June 29. The sources said Syrian Army troops as well as Assad militias penetrated
several districts of the city.

The Assad regime has reported “great progress” in the offensive. But rebels said resistance was heavy and at least one MBT was destroyed.

Homs marked the latest target in the Assad offensive against Sunni
rebels. In June, the Syrian military, backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps and Hizbullah, have captured several major rebel strongholds,
including Damascus and Qusair.

At the same time, Assad forces were also pounding rebel strongholds in
the northern city of Aleppo. Again, reports from the city have been
contradictory, with the regime claiming steady gains and rebels maintaining
successful resistance.

  Aleppo, Assad’s forces zero in on key rebel strongholds at Homs, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qusair