Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh The Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh was an operation by the Syrian Army during the Syrian uprising . On 28 May 2011 , after major protests , the Syrian Army launched an operation in al - Rastan , a city of an estimated 50 , 000 residents 20 kilometers north of Homs , and the neighboring town of Talbiseh , which resulted in the suppression of the protests and numerous deaths . The Syrian Army met some armed opposition during the operation . Background . In mid - April , large protests began in Rastan and the neighboring town of Talbiseh . On 29 April , some 50 members of the ruling Ba ' ath Party resigned in Rastan . Soon after , while notice of the resignations was being read out at a large protest , the Military Intelligence allegedly shot and killed 17 demonstrators . A week later , about 100 tanks and troop transporters converged on and encircled the town of Rastan , after anti - government protesters toppled a statue of the late Syrian president Hafez al - Assad and pledged to press ahead with their protests despite sweeping arrests by Bashar al - Assad ' s government . Throughout May , protests continued in Rastan and the neighboring areas . The operation . On Saturday 28 May , the Syrian military entered the towns of Rastan and Talbiseh , a day after their biggest demonstrations so far . The opposition reported shooting in Talbiseh and said that soldiers were breaking into homes and arresting people . The operation started after the security forces cut - off all water supplies , electricity and telecommunications in the area and blocked all roads leading to the two towns . On Sunday , a mortar shell hit a school bus carrying children in Talbiseh , residents told Al Jazeera . An ambulance trying to rescue them was also targeted , but the wounded students were eventually allowed to be transported to the nearest hospital in Deir Balba , they said . On 30 May , it was reported that residents of Rastan and Talbiseh had fired at the army with assault rifles and rocket - propelled grenades . A resident of Homs said " The army is facing armed resistance and is not able to enter the two towns . . . The army is still outside the towns and I was told that army vehicles , including armored personnel carriers , were set on fire " . Another opposition activist confirmed residents had fought back , but said it involved lone residents protecting themselves rather than an organized armed resistance with an overall command structure . The opposition Local Co - ordination Committees said that the army hit Talbiseh with artillery early on Monday 28 May and that snipers were deployed on the roofs of mosques . Opposition activists reported that at least two people were killed by Syrian Army artillery and machine - gun fire in Rastan on 4 June . Aftermath . In late September , there were reports of more army defections in Rastan , and the Free Syrian Army claimed to have destroyed 17 armored vehicles during clashes in Rastan , using RPGs and booby traps . On 1 October , the Syrian Army took control of Rastan , killing 130 civilians and opposition forces according to activist sources and arresting 3 , 000 suspected opposition members .