Syrian insurgents have reached the suburbs of Damascus as part of a rapidly moving offensive that has seen them take over some of Syria's largest cities, according to media reports citing 'opposition activists'.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has estimated that since the escalation of hostilities in Syria, at least 370,000 men, women and children, boys and girls have been displaced, including 100,000 who left their homes more than once
In his daily press briefing, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, stated that most of the displaced are women and children.
"Tens of thousands of people have now arrived in north-east Syria."
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and NGOs operating in the north-east estimate that between 60,000 and 80,000 human beings have been newly displaced, including more than 25,000 currently hosted in shelters.
These shelters are filling up as soon as they are assigned. With these sites now at capacity, people are sleeping on the streets or in their cars in sub-zero temperatures as winter is setting on.
The UN is working with our humanitarian partners in the north-east to assess the needs of families who have arrived at reception centres.
Earlier on Saturday, thousands of residents fled the city of Homs, desperate amid the rebels' advance towards Damascus sparked panic.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Friday that thousands of Homs residents started fleeing overnight towards the western coast, where embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad still maintains control, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Fighters led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) made significant gains in Syria, capturing two key towns -- Rastan and Talbiseh -- in the Homs governorate.
According to Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the SOHR, HTS forces were just five kilometres away from the outskirts of Homs city.
After capturing the city of Hama to the north on Thursday, the rebels set their sights on the crossroads city of Homs which, if captured, would split the territories under the control of President Bashar al-Assad in two.
The conflict began in 2011 after Assad moved to stamp out peaceful pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring.
Over 3,00,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the United Nations, with millions more displaced across the region, according to CNN.
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