Some Arab officials urge Assad to leave Syria

Syrian rebels were closing in on Homs after seizing two other major cities in a lightning offensive that has reignited the civil war after more than a decade and thrown the future of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime into question, with some Arab officials urging him to leave the country, Report informs via The Wall Street Journal.

Syrian government forces withdrew from the city of Hama on Thursday, handing the rebels another victory after they seized Aleppo last week.

The rebel advances have exposed the weakness of the Assad regime and raised the stakes for his main patrons, Russia and Iran, which have helped keep him in power.