Syrians assess destruction in third-largest city Homs

Homs is a city marked by years of heavy bombings, artillery shelling and fighting.

Considered the "birthplace" of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the city was besieged for three years by Assad's forces.

Some returning residents are now discovering the destruction and their ruined homes.

One of them is Khaled Sahloul, who had to leave his house in 2012 following fighting between rebels and regime militias in his area.

"Our neighborhood was near the market. At the beginning of the noble revolution there was a curfew, and no one could get out of his house. So, we were forced to go from one area to another, from one alley to another, so we could go out and bring food. When the protests were going from the Khalid Bin Al-Walid Mosque towards the market, we were in the crossfire between the regime’s militias and the rebels. Our street was full of militias," he says.

Many houses only consist of scarred walls and rubble. The little belongings left have often been stolen.

Yet since the Assad regime's fall after a lightning-strike rebel offensive on 8 December 2024, displaced residents have been returning to Homs.

Despite the scenes of destruction they are witnessing in their city, many of them are hopefull and want to rebuild their homes and Homs.