TENS of thousands of people have fled their homes in fear as Islamist insurgents close in on Syria’s third-largest city Homs.

Jihadist-led fighters seized two towns on the outskirts today, positioning themselves for an assault on the city, which would be a blow against President Bashar al-Assad.

Insurgents siezed Hama to the north on Thursday, with the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a veteran of al-Qaida In Iraq who spent years in US prisons, saying their goal is to make their way to the Syrian capital Damascus to overthrow the Assad regime.