Syrian insurgents capture central city of Hama in another blow to Syrian President

Beirut: Syrian insurgents entered the central city of Hama Thursday after days of intense clashes with government forces as they push forward with their week-long offensive that brought large parts of Syria under their control.

The Syrian army said it has withdrawn from Hama after insurgents broke through its defences marking another setback for President Bashar Assad, days after losing the country’s largest city.

The Syrian army said it redeployed from Hama and took positions

outside the city to protect the lives of civilians.

The insurgents’ next target is likely to be the central city of Homs, the country’s third largest. Homs, which is about 40 kilometres south of Hama, is the gate to the capital Damascus, President Bashar Assad’s seat of power as well as the coastal region that is a base of support for him.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the de facto leader of the Syrian insurgency announced in a video message that the insurgency reached the city of Hama in a “conquering that is not vengeful, but one of mercy and compassion.”

The capture of Hama, Syria’s fourth largest city, is another blow to Assad days after insurgents captured much of the northern city of Aleppo, the country’s largest city.

Al-Golani, leader of the most powerful insurgent group in Syria the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, publicly toured Aleppo city Wednesday.