Syrian rebels captured the city of Hama on Thursday, marking a major victory in their swift advance across northern Syria. This new blow to President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies follows a week of intense fighting.
The rebels’ rapid progress has been one of the fastest battlefield advances in the 13-year civil war. Taking Hama, a strategically important city, is a significant achievement, as the rebels had never managed to control it before.
In response, the Syrian army announced it was redeploying outside Hama to avoid urban combat and protect civilians. Clashes had been intense, but once the rebels entered the city, fighting quickly subsided.
Rebels were seen parading through Hama, celebrating their victory. Footage also showed prisoners being freed from the city’s jail, highlighting the symbolic nature of their triumph.
The rebels are now setting their sights on the city of Homs, a key crossroads linking Damascus to the north and the coast. Rebel commanders urged the people of Homs to rise up against Assad’s forces, signaling a potential escalation of the conflict.
