Syrian rebels continue their push south in an effort to take more territory as government forces fail to hold them back. Plus, there are calls for the South Korean president to resign after he tried to declare martial law. And, Pope Francis promotes 21 men as new cardinals.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Syrian rebels are gaining momentum as they push their way towards the city of Homs. Government forces were unable to stop the insurgents from taking five towns in less than two weeks. I'm Alyssa Nadwarny. And I'm Ayesha Roscoe, and this is Up First from NPR News. Syrian forces are battling to keep insurgents out of the strategically crucial city of Homs.
We'll have the latest developments on this story. Plus, in South Korea, political chaos after the president declared martial law. He's now facing calls to resign as lawmakers fight over whether to impeach him. We'll have the latest from Seoul. Plus, Pope Francis promotes 21 men to the Catholic Church's College of Cardinals. Stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend.
A new chapter has started in the long-running Syrian civil war, after a coalition of rebel forces took several key cities.
They haven't faced much opposition from government forces until today, as they fight to make their way to the city of Homs, less than 90 miles away from the capital Damascus.
NPR's Jane Araf is in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, near the Syrian border. Good morning, Jane.
Good morning, Alyssa.
So since this offensive started some two weeks ago, we've seen developments on the ground moving at a lightning pace. What's the latest?
Well, the speed and the pace of this offensive is astonishing. A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, now says that opposition fighters are just a few miles from the gates of the capital, Damascus.
They earlier took Daraa province, which was the start of the uprising that led to civil war more than a decade ago, and they appear close to be taking the major city of Homs, which would allow the opposition to isolate regime forces in coastal areas, Latakia and Tartus, which are key to President Bashar al-Assad's support.
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