Video: Syria: Assad's forces tighten grip on Homs The footage uploaded to a social media website shows black plumes of smoke rising above the city while the sound of shelling and gunfire can be heard. Activists in Homs said food and medical supplies to treat the wounded were running short. Strategically sited on the road between Damascus and commercial hub Aleppo, the city has been a stronghold of resistance to President Assad. Several hundred have been killed in the city according to activists' reports, but security forces have so far, held back from a full invasion of opposition held districts.