Syrian rebels captured the key city of Hama on Thursday in a major victory for the week-old lightning offensive in northern Syria launched by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and dealing a devastating blow to President Bashar Al-Assad and his Army.
The Syrian Army on Thursday acknowledged that it had lost control of Hama for the first time since a civil war gripped the embattled country in 2011. “Over the past few hours, with the intensification of confrontations between our soldiers and terrorist groups… these groups were able to breach a number of axes in the city and entered it,” it said in a statement.
The Army claimed it was redeploying outside the city “to preserve civilian lives and prevent urban combat” following severe confrontations with Islamist rebels, who were spotted parading around Hama into the evening and liberating captives from the local prison amid celebratory gunfire.
Prior to this, the rebels had never taken control of Hama, which is strategically positioned in central Syria and was critical for the Army’s ability to defend Damascus as the capital and seat of power. The surrender of Hama is a severe setback for President Assad’s army and his Russian and Iranian allies.
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Source: News18
