Summary Islamist-led rebels are now just 1km from Syria's third largest city, Homs, according to a war monitor Tens of thousands of people have been fleeing as the anti-government forces advance Russia - a key ally of the Syrian government - is now urging its citizens to leave the country The rebels seized Hama to the north on Thursday, a second major blow to President Bashar al-Assad who lost control of Aleppo last week Their goal is the overthrow of Assad's regime, the leader of the Islamist militant group HTS says in a CNN interview