Syrian rebels were closing in on Homs after seizing two other major cities in a lightning offensive that has reignited the civil war after more than a decade and thrown the future of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime into question, with some Arab officials urging him to leave the country. Syrian rebels were closing in on Homs after seizing two other major cities in a lightning offensive that has reignited the civil war after more than a decade and thrown the future of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime into question, with some Arab officials urging him to leave the country.