Throughout the 20th century Homs held high political importance in the country and was home to several heads of state and other high-ranking government officials.
During the French mandate, Homs was part of the State of Damascus.
It was considered for some time to become the capital of the Syrian Federation.
In Autumn 1925, the city joined Damascus and the southern Druze chieftains in a full-blown revolt against French rule.
In 1932, the French moved their military academy from Damascus to Homs to be established in 1933, later known as Homs Military Academy, and it remained the only military academy in Syria until 1967.
The French authorities had created a locally recruited military force designated as the Special Troops of the Levant, in which the Alawites were given privileged positions.
The military academy in Homs trained the indigenous officers for these Troupes Speciales du Levant.
The Homs Military Academy played a major role in the years following Syria's independence, as many of its graduates went on to become high-ranking officers in the Syrian Army, many of them taking part in the series of coup d'états that were to follow.
An important example was Hafez al-Assad who became the president of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000.

An oil pipeline between Tripoli and Kirkuk was built in Homs in the early 1930s and it followed an ancient caravan route between Palmyra and the Mediterranean.
In 1959, an oil refinery was built to process some of this oil for domestic consumption.
The city's oil refinery was bombed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

From May 2011 - May 2014, the city was under siege by the Syrian Army and security forces.
The Syrian government claims it is targeting "armed gangs" and "terrorists" in the area.
According to the Syrian opposition, Homs has since become a "blighted city," where authorities regularly block deliveries of medicine, food and fuel to the inhabitants of certain districts.
By June, there were near-daily confrontations between protesting residents and Syrian forces.
As a result of these circumstances, there have been more deaths in Homs and its vicinity than in other areas of Syria.
Homs was the first Syrian city where images of al-Assad and his family were routinely torn down or defaced and the first place where Syrian forces used artillery during the uprising.
The Center for Documenting Violations in Syria claims that at least 1,770 people have been killed in Homs since the uprising began.

On 9 December 2015, under a UN-negotiated deal, the remnants of anti-government forces and their families, that had been under siege the al-Wair district for three years, began to evacuate from the city.
Throughout the 20th century Homs held high political importance in the country and was home to several heads of state and other high-ranking government officials. During the French mandate, Homs was part of the State of Damascus. It was considered for some time to become the capital of the Syrian Federation. In Autumn 1925, the city joined Damascus and the southern Druze chieftains in a full-blown revolt against French rule. In 1932, the French moved their military academy from Damascus to Homs to be established in 1933, later known as Homs Military Academy, and it remained the only military academy in Syria until 1967. The French authorities had created a locally recruited military force designated as the Special Troops of the Levant, in which the Alawites were given privileged positions. The military academy in Homs trained the indigenous officers for these Troupes Speciales du Levant. The Homs Military Academy played a major role in the years following Syria's independence, as many of its graduates went on to become high-ranking officers in the Syrian Army, many of them taking part in the series of coup d'états that were to follow. An important example was Hafez al-Assad who became the president of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000.
An oil pipeline between Tripoli and Kirkuk was built in Homs in the early 1930s and it followed an ancient caravan route between Palmyra and the Mediterranean. In 1959, an oil refinery was built to process some of this oil for domestic consumption. The city's oil refinery was bombed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
From May 2011 - May 2014, the city was under siege by the Syrian Army and security forces. The Syrian government claims it is targeting "armed gangs" and "terrorists" in the area. According to the Syrian opposition, Homs has since become a "blighted city," where authorities regularly block deliveries of medicine, food and fuel to the inhabitants of certain districts. By June, there were near-daily confrontations between protesting residents and Syrian forces. As a result of these circumstances, there have been more deaths in Homs and its vicinity than in other areas of Syria. Homs was the first Syrian city where images of al-Assad and his family were routinely torn down or defaced and the first place where Syrian forces used artillery during the uprising. The Center for Documenting Violations in Syria claims that at least 1,770 people have been killed in Homs since the uprising began.
On 9 December 2015, under a UN-negotiated deal, the remnants of anti-government forces and their families, that had been under siege the al-Wair district for three years, began to evacuate from the city.
Homs