Homs Residents Salvage Belongings After Rebels Leave

The Los Angeles Times reports that residents and business owners have begun to trickle back into Homs for the first time since 2012, after a deal evacuated the remaining 2,000 rebel fighters from the historic Old City.

“Most found little beyond devastated homes, looted businesses and a handful of tokens from better times. They grabbed what they could, stuffing what remained of their former lives into baby strollers, suitcases or plastic bags and onto bicycles and scooters to take to their new homes, typically temporary residences, often with relatives or in shelters.

“‘It’s not much, just a few small things,’ said Rafi Sepechian, as he and his wife lugged several chairs, a floral print and a suitcase full of odds and ends from their former flat in the Old City. ‘It’s badly damaged, but we plan to rebuild. We love our home.’… Retaking control of central Homs is a major victory for the Syrian government, which is seeking to project an image of growing stability ahead of the presidential election scheduled for June 3.”

Rebels in Southern Syria on Brink of Turning Against Each Other

The National reports on potential new rebel infighting in southern Syria, where “moderate opposition factions and Islamist rebels from Jabhat al-Nusra were on the brink of going to war with each other on Sunday night in what would be a dramatic spread of rebel-on-rebel violence.

“Mediation efforts, under way since last Saturday’s capture of Ahmed Nehmeh, a commander in the western and Gulf-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), were continuing in northern Jordan in a last-ditch attempt to avert an outbreak of open hostilities among rebels,” the paper wrote. Nehmeh has been accused of treason; the FSA wants him handed over to an independent court.

In contrast, “Al Nusra has insisted he face trial by a court in which they and two other allied Islamist factions, Harakat Al Muthanna and Ahrar Al Sham, sit in judgment. Judges from rebel-controlled courts in Deraa province and field commanders from different fighting units met in Irbid, near the Jordan-Syria border, at the end of a week of frantic, fruitless talks over Colonel Nehmeh’s fate.”

Syria Opens Presidential Campaign

The AP reports from Damascus, where the presidential campaign of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, along with those of his challengers, Maher Hajjar and Hassan al-Nouri, officially began on Sunday. The country’s first so-called national democratic election in decades is set for June 3. It is widely expected that Assad will declare victory.

“Both rivals are “members of the so-called internal opposition tolerated by the government. But the men are relatively unknown, and neither has the full weight of the state behind him like Assad does.

“On the bustling Thawra Street in the center of the city, two new Assad billboards greeted the crowds below. One shows Assad, dressed in a gray suit and blue shirt, along with the word ‘Together.’ The second billboard just reads ‘Together,’ along with the president’s signature. Several cars flying national flags and photos of the president blasted nationalist songs as they cruised the capital’s streets in a show of support for Assad, who has ruled the country since taking over from his father, Hafez, in 2000.”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team

Guardian: Iran and Assad Have Won in Syria, Say Top Tehran Foreign Policy Figures

Bloomberg: Assad’s Military Gains Challenge Obama’s Syria Strategy

AFP: ISIS Slams Qaeda Chief, Refuses to Quit Syria

WSJ: Saudis Allege Rebels in Syria Plotted Attacks in Kingdom