In a significant development, Syria's army has announced its withdrawal from Hama, a strategically important central city, following intense confrontations with rebel groups. This marks a second major gain for the newly formed rebel coalition, which had recently captured Aleppo.
The Syrian military cited the escalation of clashes and the loss of soldiers' lives as reasons for the withdrawal, allowing rebel groups to penetrate parts of the city and gain entry.
Rebels reported freeing hundreds of detainees from the central prison, whom they deemed 'wrongfully detained.'
The capture of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, by rebel forces in a surprise offensive dealt a significant blow to President Bashar al-Assad's regime and its allies in Iran and Russia, reigniting the long-dormant civil war.
Hama's strategic location at a key crossroads in western-central Syria provides crucial supply lines between Damascus and Aleppo. The city had remained unconquered by rebels since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
Abu Mohammad Al Jolani, leader of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), the main rebel group leading the offensive, stated that entering Hama was a mission to 'cleanse a 40-year-old wound.'
The city holds symbolic significance due to the 1982 massacre ordered by President Hafez al-Assad, resulting in a death toll estimated between 10,000 and 25,000.
HTS, formed by Jolani after disbanding Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate in 2016, has sought to rebrand itself as a moderate Islamist group, despite being designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in 2018.
The rebels have pledged to advance towards Homs, another major city south of Hama, urging the people to rise against oppression and tyranny.
Syria's civil war, stemming from the 2011 Arab Spring protests against Assad's regime, escalated into a full-scale armed conflict, with Hama being an early epicenter of anti-government demonstrations.
