DAMASCUS: Syrian troops entered the rebel district of Khaldiyeh in the besieged central city of Homs on Tuesday, state television said.

"Our valiant armed forces have secured large parts of Khaldiyeh district and are now pursuing the remnants of the terrorists," the channel announced, using government terminology for the rebels.

A security official told AFP on Monday that the army hoped to eliminate the last pockets of resistance in Homs and the nearby town of Qusayr by the end of the week to free up troops for battle zones in the north, such as Aleppo.

The government deployed fighter jets over Homs for the first time on Friday, bombing Khaldiyeh, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.