Nikephoros II Phokas
For around thirty years during the 10th century, Homs was raided by the Byzantines led by Nikephoros II Phokas in October 968, and its inhabitants were subject to slaughter and plunder while the city's mosque (Great Mosque of al-Nuri) was briefly restored as a church. In 974–975, John I Tzimiskes managed to control the city during his Syrian campaigns.