Homs under attack as Syrian army wages offensive

Syria's army waged an offensive Sunday in Homs, saying they were eliminating "scores of terrorists," the official SANA news agency said. Syrian army units "eliminated scores of terrorists and destroyed their hideouts and equipment" in different neighborhoods in Homs. The Arabic language website of The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said about 67 people were killed in Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, Deraa and Homs. The Syrian regime began a massive offensive on Homs Saturday, focusing on rebel-held areas, with fighter jets bombing sites and the army firing intense artillery barrages at the city, Israel's Channel 2 reported. Israel's Iron Dome missile defense battery deployed Friday morning in accordance with appraisals of the security situation, the Israeli army said in a statement. "The region is shaking from south to north, Syria is hemorrhaging blood and in Lebanon the fire has begun to catch the edge of Nasrallah's robe. In the face of this changing reality, we must be prepared, coordinated and alert, more than ever," The Jerusalem Post quoted Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, Israel's chief of staff, as saying Thursday.