Syrian rebels captured the city of Hama this Thursday (5), after advances in the north of the country.
In a video, supposedly from the Military Media for the Syrian Revolution, it is possible to see a Syrian rebel filming the streets upon arriving in Hama.
Reuters was able to confirm the location. The date of the videos was verified by reports from rebel forces, which had seized districts of the city, and by reports from the Syrian Army that it was moving out of the region.
The affiliation of the people present in the images could not be independently verified.
The Syrian Army said it left the city “to preserve the lives of civilians and prevent fighting” after what it classified as “intense clashes”.
The rebels said they were preparing to continue marching south towards Homs, a Syrian city that connects the capital, Damascus, to the north and the coast.
Understand the conflict in Syria
Syria’s civil war began during the Arab Spring in 2011, when the regime of Bashar al-Assad suppressed a pro-democracy uprising.
The country was plunged into full-scale conflict when a rebel force was formed, known as the Free Syrian Army, to fight government troops.
Furthermore, the Islamic State, a terrorist group, also managed to gain a foothold in the country and came to control 70% of Syrian territory.
Fighting escalated as other regional actors and world powers — from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United States to Russia — joined in, escalating the country’s war into what some observers described as a “proxy war.”
Russia has allied with Bashar al-Assad’s government to fight the Islamic State and rebels, while the United States has led an international coalition to repel the terrorist group.
After a ceasefire agreement in 2020, the conflict remained largely “dormant”, with minor clashes between the rebels and the Assad regime.
More than 300,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the UN, and millions of people have been displaced across the region.
This content was originally published in Syrian rebels publish videos of their arrival in the city of Hama on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
