Syrian opposition forces have entered Hama after the army’s withdrawal

Syrian rebels successfully expelled pro-government forces from Hama on Thursday, marking a significant victory for the insurgents following a rapid advance across northern Syria. This development poses a new challenge for President Bashar al-Assad and his allies from Russia and Iran.

The Syrian army reported that the rebels had entered Hama after fierce fighting and announced a strategic redeployment outside the city to safeguard civilian lives and avoid urban warfare.

Rebel forces claimed control over districts in the northeastern part of the city and took over the central prison, releasing detainees in the process. Al Jazeera aired footage purportedly showing rebels within the city, with some interacting with civilians near a roundabout, while others were seen operating military vehicles and mopeds.

Last week, the rebels captured the key northern city of Aleppo and have since advanced southward from their stronghold in northwest Syria, reaching a crucial hill just north of Hama on Tuesday and pushing towards the eastern and western edges of the city on Wednesday.

Hama has remained under government control throughout the civil war, which began in 2011 as a protest against President Bashar al-Assad. The loss of Hama to a resurgent insurgency would send ripples through Damascus and its Russian and Iranian backers. The city is strategically located over a third of the way from Aleppo to Damascus, and its capture would facilitate a rebel push towards Homs, a central city that serves as a vital junction connecting Syria’s most populated areas.

In Hama, the site of a brutal Islamist uprising suppressed by the Assad regime in 1982, a resident reported that the internet was disconnected and the streets were deserted on Wednesday, as their family continues to reside in the city.